1.  Prior to preparing the sauce, clean the wild boar meat according to the method in our article on Removing the Gaminess from Meat.

2.  Once the wild boar meat is cleaned, set it aside.

3.  In a large sauté pan or sauce pot, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Let the vegetables sweat and soften, about 8 - 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes until the onion turns translucent and the vegetables begin to brown.

 

 

 

4.  As the vegetables begin to brown, add the nutmeg and red wine to the pan along with the cleaned wild boar meat. Stir the ingredients well and continue sautéing for another 8 - 10 minutes until the wine has almost evaporated from the pan and meat begins to brown on all sides.

5.  When the wine has reduced and the meat begins to brown, add the tomato sauce to the pan along with 1 2/3 cups water. Stir everything in the pan well and bring the sauce to a rolling boil.

6.  Once the sauce begins to boil, lower the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the sauce gently simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

7.  If you are making homemade gnocchi for this dish, prepare them per our recipe while the sauce is simmering. When the gnocchi are cut and shaped, place them on a floured platter and into the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them (about 20 minutes prior to serving).

8.  As the sauce continues to cook, break up the meat into the sauce using the back of a fork. After about 3 hours, taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to your taste.

9.  When the sauce is about 30 minutes from being finished, place a pot filled with water and a generous pinch of salt over high heat. Bring the water to a rolling boil.

10.  Once the water is boiling, add 1/3 of the gnocchi to the water. When they rise to the surface, they are finished cooking (about 2 minutes). As they rise, remove them from the cooking water using a slotted spoon or ladle, drain off any excess water and place them into the wild boar sauce.

11.  Continue this process until all of the gnocchi are cooked and have been placed in the sauce.

12.  Turn off the heat to the sauce and gently fold the gnocchi into the sauce.

13.  Plate the dish and serve immediately with grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese.

Notes

If you cannot find wild boar meat, you can use cubed pork shoulder. When using pork shoulder, you do not have to clean it, and you can reduce the cooking time for sauce to 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

If the sauce is too thin as it finishes cooking, raise the heat to medium-high, uncover the pot and reduce the sauce to your preferred consistency. Remember to stir the sauce every few minutes so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. If the sauce is too thick, add 1/3 cup water to the sauce and stir until you have thinned out the sauce to your preference.

If you are using pre-prepared gnocchi, cook them according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once they are cooked, place them into the wild boar sauce and gently fold them into the sauce.