Al Cinghiale
Wild boar from the Tuscan hills, cooked long in red wine. The result is a ragù of considerable weight — dark, gamey, and entirely of its landscape.
Cinghiale has been hunted in Tuscany since Etruscan times, and the ragù has followed the same logic since Tuscany has had kitchens: marinate overnight, braise slowly, reduce long. The Maremma and the Chianti forests are where the boar runs and where the dish comes from. It has not needed to travel.
Only a few ingredients
Wild Boar
Cut into large chunks. Cover completely with red wine, rosemary, bay, juniper, and a few peppercorns. Refrigerate overnight. Drain and pat dry before you cook it — the marinade is kept.
marinate overnightExtra Virgin Olive Oil
Into a heavy pot, high heat. The boar needs real colour on all sides before anything else goes in. Don't crowd it — sear in batches if necessary.
Soffritto
Onion, carrot, celery — finely chopped. Into the fat left from the sear. Low heat until soft. The Tuscan soffritto is the foundation.
Rosemary
A sprig in with the vegetables. It stays in for the whole braise. Tuscan kitchens use a heavy hand with rosemary and the boar can carry it.
Dry Red Wine
The strained marinade goes in now — all of it. It is already flavoured with the boar and the aromatics. Bring it up, then lower the flame all the way.
Peeled Tomatoes
Crushed in by hand. Not a lot — this is not a tomato sauce. Enough to add body and balance the wine. The meat is the subject.
It must be marinated.
Wild boar is not pork. The overnight marinade in red wine with rosemary and juniper is what brings the meat into proportion — it draws out some of the gaminess and opens the structure so the braise can work properly. Skip it and the sauce is aggressive rather than complex. The marinade is not optional.
Pappardelle
The Tuscan standard. Wide ribbons built for heavy ragù.
Tagliatelle
A lighter alternative — still correct for a long-cooked sauce.
Ready to cook?
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Other sauces from the same region
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