Homemade Tagliatelle With Wild Boar Ragu

Step 1

Season the boar with salt and pepper and dust with a bit of flour.

Step 2

Brown the boar on both sides and set aside.

Step 3

In another pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until almost smoking.

Step 4

Add the onions and cook until translucent.

Step 5

Add the garlic and cook a couple minutes longer before adding the carrot and celery.

Step 6

Cook until the vegetables are soft.

Step 7

Add the boar and pancetta to the pot and cook for about 10-15 minutes.

Step 8

Add the tomatoes, wine, parsley and basil.

Step 9

Simmer for several hours if you can, stirring occasionally.

Step 10

After a couple of hours, start trying to pull apart the boar meat. (Leaving it in large pieces will make it dry.) You should be able to do this just with a wooden spoon.

Step 11

In a food processor blend the flour, the eggs, the oil, and 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water until the mixture just begins to form a ball, adding more water drop by drop if the dough is too dry. (The dough should be firm and not sticky.)

Step 12

Blend the dough for 15 seconds more to knead it.

Step 13

You can prepare the dough up to 4 hours ahead of time. Just keep it covered in the fridge. It needs to stand, covered, at room temperature for an hour before being rolled, however, so keep that in mind.

Step 14

To roll pasta dough, set the smooth rollers of a pasta machine at the widest setting. (If you don't have a pasta roller, you can use a rolling pin; it'll just take some elbow grease and you may not be able to get it very thin.)

Step 15

Divide the dough into 3 pieces, flatten one piece into a rough rectangle, and cover the remaining pieces with an inverted bowl.

Step 16

Dust the rectangle with flour and feed it through the rollers.

Step 17

Turn the dial down one notch and feed the dough through the rollers.

Step 18

Continue to feed the dough through the rollers, turning the dial one notch lower each time, until the dough has reached the desired thinness.

Step 19

The dough should be a smooth, long sheet about four or five inches wide and about 1/16-inch thick.

Step 20

Roll the remaining pasta dough in the same manner.

Step 21

Using a knife, cut the sheets of pasta into 1-inch wide ribbons.

Step 22

Once you have all your tagliatelle cut, cook in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Fresh pasta only takes a couple of minutes to cook, and it's done when it floats to the top, so be sure that you've already set the table and are ready to eat.

Step 23

Drain the cooked pasta (don't rinse!!) and divide into large pasta bowls.

Step 24

Cover the pasta with sauce and sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese.

Step 25

Serve with crusty grilled bread and a simple side salad.