Stufato di Selvaggina alla Ternana con Polenta

Terni and Valnerina, Umbria

Game stew in the Terni tradition: wild boar, hare, or deer shoulder slowly braised in Sagrantino passito (the tannic, oxidative Umbrian passito wine), with juniper berries, dried porcini, wild rosemary, and a soffritto of lard-rendered guanciale. The wine's tannin and residual sugar create a sauce of unique depth — savoury, sweet, and faintly bitter simultaneously. Served on white polenta concia (enriched with butter and pecorino).

• Game braised in tannic red wine with aromatic vegetables — the same slow-braise technique → Civet de lièvre au Gevrey-Chambertin Burgundy
• Wild boar shoulder braised in red wine with juniper and bay in the Central European tradition → Wildschweinbraten in Rotwein German
• Neighbouring regional tradition of slow-braising wild boar with wine and complex spice mix → Cinghiale in Dolceforte Tuscan

Deep, resinous, tannic game stew rounded by the caramel notes of Sagrantino passito — Umbrian mountain cooking at its most sophisticated