'The woods' – wild boar loin with honey, pumpkin purée and a wild blueberry sauce
- Main
- Medium
- 4
- 60 minutes
PT1H
Wild boar, or cinghiale in Italian, is a prized game meat in Italy. The meat itself is dark and lean and pairs wonderfully with other seasonal produce, such as juniper, winter berries and autumnal vegetables. In this recipe, Igles Corelli serves tender wild boar loins with a smooth Violina pumpkin purée and a rich wild blueberry sauce. This particular pumpkin can be hard to find, but can be easily substituted for sweet potato or butternut squash.
Ingredients
Wild boar
- 2 wild boar loins, weighing approximately 250g each
- 2 tbsp of acacia honey, or thyme honey if available
- 1/2 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Pumpkin purée
- 1 pumpkin , about 800g, halved and deseeded
- 80g of Parmesan , grated
- 50g of butter
- olive oil
- coarse sea salt
- salt
Blueberry sauce
- 150g of blueberries, preferably wild
- 1 tbsp of white onion, chopped
- 10g of butter
- 1 tbsp of brown sugar
- 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
To serve
- flaky sea salt
- edible flowers
Equipment
- Blender
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
2
Drizzle the pumpkin halves with olive oil and place on a baking tray skin side down. Sprinkle with a generous amount of coarse sea salt and bake for 40 minutes, or until the skin easily comes away from the flesh
- 1 pumpkin , about 800g, halved and deseeded
- olive oil
- coarse sea salt
3
For the wild boar, add the oil and garlic to an ovenproof frying pan and place over a high heat. When the garlic begins to brown, remove it from the pan to leave garlic-infused oil
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 garlic clove
4
Add the wild boar loins and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and transfer the loins to a grill rack placed over a deep tray to rest, catching the juices from the meat in the tray
- 2 wild boar loins, weighing approximately 250g each
5
After the pumpkin has finished cooking, set aside and increase the oven temperature to 200°C/gas mark 6
6
Return the loins to the frying pan and brush the all over with the honey. Place in the oven to cook for 7 minutes, until the meat is caramelised on the outside but still pink in the middle
- 2 tbsp of acacia honey, or thyme honey if available
7
Meanwhile, make the blueberry sauce by adding the butter and onion to a pan over a medium heat. Sauté for a few minutes to soften, then add the sugar and white wine vinegar and cook for another minute. Add half of the blueberries and cook for another 2 minutes, then set aside and keep warm until serving
- 1 tbsp of white onion, chopped
- 10g of butter
- 1 tbsp of brown sugar
- 75g of blueberries, preferably wild
- 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
8
Remove the wild boar from the oven and transfer the loins to the grill rack to rest again for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, place the frying pan back on a medium heat and deglaze with the meat juices caught in the tray
9
Pour all the meat juices and residue into the pan with the blueberry sauce, mix well and transfer to a blender. Blitz together then pass through a fine sieve to ensure it is completely smooth. Season to taste and keep warm
10
Skin the cooked pumpkin and add the flesh to a blender with the butter and Parmesan. Blitz until it forms a smooth purée, then season with salt and set aside ready to serve
- 80g of Parmesan , grated
- 50g of butter
- salt
11
To serve, spoon a generous portion of pumpkin purée into the centre of each plate followed by a couple of spoonfuls of the blueberry sauce. Slice the wild boar into even pieces and divide these between plates, scattering over the remaining blueberries, a little flaky sea salt and edible flowers to garnish
- 75g of blueberries, preferably wild
- flaky sea salt, to serve
- edible flowers , to garnish
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'The woods' – wild boar loin with honey, pumpkin purée and a wild blueberry sauce
