Spezzatino di Cinghiale con Polenta

Place the boar pieces in a non-reactive bowl with the red wine, juniper berries, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, and peppercorns. Ensure the meat is fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. For a cleaner result, pour off the marinade after 12 hours and replace with fresh wine for the remaining 12 hours. The marinade is done when the meat has deepened in colour and the wine smells strongly of juniper and game.

Lift the boar from the marinade and strain the marinade liquid through a fine sieve; reserve. Pat every piece of meat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper — no surface moisture should remain. This is where the dish lives or dies: wet meat from the marinade will steam in the pan rather than sear, and the Maillard crust is the flavour foundation of the entire braise. Heat a wide heavy pot over high heat, add half the olive oil, and brown the boar in uncrowded batches until a deep mahogany crust forms on all sides. Remove and set aside. The crust should release cleanly from the pan; tearing indicates underdone.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining olive oil to the same pot and sweat the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic without colour for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soffritto is ready when the vegetables have collapsed and the onion is fully translucent with no raw sharpness on the palate.

Return the browned boar to the pot. Pour in the fresh red wine and let it bubble, scraping up any residue from the base. Add the passata, fresh tomatoes, strained marinade, olives, and rosemary sprig. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise gently for 2.5 to 3 hours. The braise is done when the boar yields without resistance to a fork but holds its shape and is not stringy.

Uncover the pot. If the sauce is too loose to mound on the polenta, reduce over medium heat for up to 15 minutes. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon thickly and hold a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it.

Bring the salted water to a rolling boil. Pour in the polenta in a steady stream, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the polenta pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pot — the mixture should be firm enough to hold the impression of the spoon. Pour immediately into a lightly oiled loaf pan, smooth the surface, and leave to cool completely at room temperature until set solid throughout.

Turn the set polenta out of the loaf pan and cut into slices approximately 1.5 cm thick. Grill or pan-fry over high heat until golden and marked on each side. The polenta is ready when it lifts cleanly with a crust that resists slight pressure.

Plate the grilled polenta slices alongside a generous portion of the spezzatino and its sauce. Finish the polenta with a drizzle of the best Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of coarse salt.