Name: Pappardelle al cinghiale
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 5 h 10 min
Cuisine: Italian, Tuscany / Maremma
Ingredients: 600 g wild boar shoulder or stew meat, trimmed and cut into 2–3 cm pieces; 60 g celery, finely diced; 80 g carrot, finely diced; 100 g onion, finely diced; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 35 g extra-virgin olive oil; 150 ml dry red wine, Tuscan red if available; 15 g tomato concentrate; 5 juniper berries, lightly crushed; 1 bay leaf; 1 small rosemary sprig; 6 sage leaves; 500 ml unsalted beef or vegetable broth, hot; use as needed; 6 g fine sea salt, plus pasta-water seasoning; 1 g black pepper; 350 g fine durum-wheat semolina; 150 g Italian 00 flour; 5 large eggs; 7 g extra-virgin olive oil; 10 g semolina, for dusting

Pappardelle al cinghiale: wide hero view of broad pappardelle ribbons coated with a dark chunky wild-boar ragù in a turquoise-rimmed oval bowl, with red wine nearby

Prep1 h 10 min

Cook3 h

Total5 h 10 min

Yield6 servings

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The dish

About Pappardelle al cinghiale

Pappardelle with wild boar is strongly associated with Tuscany, especially Maremma and the wooded inland areas where game cooking remains part of local food culture.

A detailed Maremma account from La Cucina Italiana emphasizes broad homemade pappardelle, wild boar with real texture, red wine, tomato concentrate rather than a heavy tomato sauce, juniper, bay, rosemary and sage, followed by two to three hours of slow cooking.

The ragù is deliberately substantial. Broad pappardelle need pieces of meat and a reduced sauce that catches on their wide surface; a thin tomato sauce would bury the game character rather than support it.

Wild boar quality varies. Good professionally handled meat does not always need an overnight marinade. This recipe therefore uses wine in the cooking and treats an overnight wine-herb marinade as optional for stronger-tasting game.

Fresh pasta is rolled fairly thin but cut 1.5–2 cm wide. It cooks in only a few minutes, then spends its final minute in the ragù so starch and sauce bind before serving.

Technique

Three things that matter

Evaporate the wine fully. The raw alcohol smell should disappear before broth and tomato concentrate are added.
Cook the ragù slowly. Wild boar becomes tender and the sauce gains depth over hours, not by hard boiling.
Keep the pappardelle broad. Wide ribbons are structurally suited to the chunky game ragù.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Wild-boar ragù

600 gwild boar shoulder or stew meattrimmed and cut into 2–3 cm pieces
60 gceleryfinely diced
80 gcarrotfinely diced
100 gonionfinely diced
1garlic clovefinely chopped
35 gextra-virgin olive oil
150 mldry red wineTuscan red if available
15 gtomato concentrate
5juniper berrieslightly crushed
1bay leaf
1small rosemary sprig
6sage leaves
500 mlunsalted beef or vegetable brothhot; use as needed
6 gfine sea saltplus pasta-water seasoning
1 gblack pepper

Fresh pappardelle

350 gfine durum-wheat semolina
150 gItalian 00 flour
5large eggs
7 gextra-virgin olive oil
10 gsemolinafor dusting

Step by step

Method

Build the wild-boar ragù

Brown the aromatic base and meat. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot. Cook celery, carrot, onion and garlic until softened, then add the wild boar and brown it thoroughly in batches if necessary.
The meat should lose its raw surface moisture and take on real colour rather than steam.
Reduce the red wine. Add the wine and cook over medium-high heat until the harsh alcoholic aroma has disappeared and the liquid is mostly reduced.
Proceed only when the steam smells rounded rather than sharply of raw wine.
Simmer slowly with herbs. Stir in tomato concentrate, juniper and bay. Add enough hot broth to come partway up the meat. Cover partially and simmer very gently for 2–3 hours, adding broth when needed. Add chopped rosemary and sage during the final 30 minutes.
The meat should become fork-tender and the sauce dense enough to cling to a spoon.
Finish the texture. Remove bay and any large juniper pieces. Shred or chop part of the tender meat if the pieces are large, leaving enough texture to identify the game. Season with salt and pepper.
The finished ragù should be meaty, glossy and only lightly tomato-coloured.

Make the pappardelle

Mix and knead the pasta. Combine semolina and 00 flour. Add eggs and olive oil and knead 8–10 minutes until smooth. Wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
The dough should be firm, elastic and evenly hydrated.
Roll and cut broad ribbons. Roll the rested dough into thin sheets, dust lightly with semolina and cut into ribbons 1.5–2 cm wide.
The ribbons should be broad enough to carry chunky ragù without becoming thick or doughy.

Cook and finish

Boil the fresh pasta briefly. Cook pappardelle in well-salted boiling water for about 2 minutes, checking early because thickness varies. Reserve pasta water.
The centre should be tender but still resilient.
Toss with the ragù. Transfer the pasta directly to a wide pan with enough hot ragù to coat it. Toss for about 1 minute, loosening with a small splash of pasta water only if needed.
Sauce should grip the ribbons without pooling on the plate.

Practical guidance

Optional marinade

For strongly flavoured game, an overnight refrigerator marinade in red wine with some of the herbs is a legitimate regional practice. Drain and dry thoroughly before browning.

Wild-boar sourcing

Use inspected commercially supplied wild boar or meat handled under applicable game-meat regulations; provenance matters more than an elaborate marinade.

Pasta timing

Fresh pappardelle cook quickly. Start checking at 90 seconds and finish them in the ragù rather than overcooking in water.

Make-ahead

The ragù improves after a night refrigerated. Reheat gently and make the fresh pasta close to serving.

Troubleshooting

The ragù tastes boozy. The wine was not reduced fully before broth was added.
The meat stays tough. The simmer was too short or too hard; continue gently with enough liquid until connective tissue softens.
The sauce is thin. Remove the lid and reduce gently after the meat is tender.
The pappardelle break. The dough was rolled too thin for the width or cooked too long before tossing.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 pasta course
Calories: approximately 760 kcal
Carbohydrates: 74 g
Protein: 46 g
Fat: 27 g
Fibre: 5 g
Sodium: approximately 620 mg

Estimate depends on the fat content of the wild boar and the amount of ragù used per serving.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten and egg.

Use legally inspected or commercially supplied wild boar; cook the ragù until the meat is fully cooked and tender throughout.

Cool leftover ragù promptly, refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 3 days or freeze.

FAQ

Does wild boar have to be marinated overnight?

No. Tuscan practice varies, and well-handled game can be cooked directly. Marinading is useful when a stronger flavour needs softening.

Why use tomato concentrate instead of lots of tomato sauce?

Many Maremma versions keep the game dominant and use concentrate for depth rather than turning the ragù into a tomato sauce.

Can dried pappardelle be used?

Yes, although handmade egg pappardelle are especially suited to the broad, textured ragù.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Broad, tender egg-pasta ribbons coated in a dark, wine-scented wild-boar ragù with recognizable pieces of game.
Key: Long gentle cooking and full wine reduction keep the ragù deep and savoury without tasting harsh or overly tomato-heavy.