Wild Boar Pasta Bake

Wild boar baked pasta is easy to prepare and totally delicious to eat. The wild boar meat has such a softness, yet depth of flavour that it’s a perfect addition to a simple vegetable based pasta dish. I had visited the Bury St Edmunds Farmer’s Market – I love the smells and delicious tasties that I wouldn’t normally eat – as I knew my friend, Vicky Gamble from The New England Boar Company would be there. I had heard her interviewed on Radio Suffolk recently explaining how well she and her partner, Jim Bolton, look after their wild boar. So I had to buy some!

Wild Boar Pasta Bake

Serves 4 as a main course

1 red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped chunky

150g wild boar pancetta

180g wild boar chorizo, sliced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 knob butter

12 chestnut mushrooms, sliced

3 handfuls cherry tomatoes, rinsed

4 sliced, steamed beetroot

1 pan of pasta of your choice

100g parmesan cheese, freshly grated

salt and pepper to taste

Serve with a green salad

How to prepare Wild Boar Pasta Bake

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ Gas 4.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the pasta of your choice.

In a large, flat bottomed frying pan, on a medium to high heat, pan fry the pancetta for 7-10 minutes to crispy it up and help reduce the fat content. Remove and set aside.

Drain the fat out of the frying pan and melt the butter. On a medium heat, fry the onion, garlic and mushrooms for approximately 10 minutes. Add the chorizo slices, balsamic vinegar, cider vinegar and honey and fry for a further five minutes. Next add the cherry tomatoes and beetroot slices. Fry for a further 5 minutes then remove from the heat.

When the pasta is ready, drain and toss into the frying pan and mix well into the delicious juices.

In a large, ovenproof dish empty the frying pan contents, followed by the pancetta and finally scatter the parmesan cheese on top. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Serve up on a plate or in a bowl with a crisp green salad and send your tastebuds to tastebud heaven.

Add salt and pepper to taste.