Civet de sanglier corse

Cut and marinate. Trim the wild boar, cut it into 45–50 g pieces, combine with the wine, eau-de-vie, onion, carrot, garlic, bouquet garni and black pepper, then cover. The pieces are evenly coated and fully surrounded by the aromatic wine marinade. Keep raw game and its juices away from ready-to-eat foods.

Refrigerate the game. Refrigerate the covered bowl for the full marinade period. Target temperature: 4 °C or below. The meat has marinated for a full 24 hours while remaining continuously chilled. Marinating, alcohol, salting, smoking and freezing are not substitutes for Trichinella control or cooking.

Drain and dry. Lift out the meat and aromatics, strain and reserve every drop of marinade, and dry the meat thoroughly with disposable paper. The meat surface is dry enough to brown rather than steam. Treat the raw marinade and anything it touches as raw-meat contact.

Brown the wild boar. Heat the olive oil in a heavy cocotte and brown the meat in a single layer, working in two loads if necessary. The wild-boar pieces have a deep brown crust on several sides without scorching. Do not taste partially cooked game.

Sweat and flour. Add the drained onion, carrot and garlic, cook until softened, then scatter in the flour and stir to coat the meat and vegetables. The vegetables are softened and the flour has lost its raw white appearance.

Boil the marinade and braise. Pour in the reserved marinade, bring the entire liquid to a full boil, then cover and maintain a very gentle simmer for 2 hours. Target temperature: 71 °C. The marinade has reached a full boil before the covered braise begins. Every wild-boar piece reaches at least 71 °C and becomes fork-tender. The sauce is glossy and lightly thickened rather than watery. Legally sourced, traceable wild boar with documented negative Trichinella testing is required, yet every piece must still reach at least 71 °C.

Cook the chestnuts. Boil the chestnuts with the fennel sprig in the measured water until a knife enters the kernels without resistance. The chestnut skins loosen and the kernels are tender enough to pierce easily. Discard the chestnut cooking water.

Peel the chestnuts. Drain just enough chestnuts to handle safely, remove shell and inner skin, and keep the kernels intact where possible. About 600 g of clean, tender chestnut kernels remain after peeling.

Finish together. Fold the peeled chestnuts into the civet and simmer uncovered until the chestnuts are hot and the sauce coats them lightly. Target temperature: 71 °C. The chestnuts are heated through without collapsing into purée. The sauce coats the meat and chestnuts in a thin glossy layer. Every wild-boar piece still registers at least 71 °C at service. Use a clean thermometer probe and clean serving utensils after checking the game.