(Roti de Cuisse de Sanglier)

　　Serve a hearty Gigondas or St. Joseph with this sumptuous dish.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 8 to 10 servings

　　One 6-pound leg of wild boar*

　　1/4 cup coarse sea salt

　　1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper

　　

For the marinade:

4 cups hearty red wine

　　2 dried imported bay leaves

　　40 sprigs fresh thyme, rinsed

　　20 black peppercorns

　　6 cloves

　　1 carrot, trimmed, peeled, and cut in 1/4-inch chunks

　　1 medium onion, cut in eighths

　　1/4 cup best-quality red wine vinegar

　　

To roast the wild boar:

20 whole cloves

　　2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

　　

For the sauce:

2 cups chicken or veal stock

　　3 tablespoons red current jelly

　　

Step 1

1. Rub the leg of wild boar all over with the salt and the pepper. Place it in a shallow dish, cover it loosely, and refrigerate it for 36 hours.

　　

Step 2

2. Bring the wine, the herbs and spices, and the vegetables to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain, reserving the bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns and cloves, and discarding the vegetables.

　　

Step 3

Whisk in the vinegar.

　　

Step 4

3. Quickly rinse the salt and pepper from the boar to remove most but not all of it. Pat meat dry and place it in a shallow dish. Pour the cooled marinade over it, return it to the refrigerator, loosely covered, and let it marinate for 36 hours, turning it at least four times.

　　

Step 5

4. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

　　

Step 6

5. Remove the leg of wild boar from the marinade and pat it dry. Make 20 tiny slits in it all over, and insert a clove into each slit. Transfer the boar to a baking dish, and pour one-fourth of the marinade over it. Roast in the center of the oven until the boar is very golden on the outside, and when you cut into it it is a very faint pink, but not in the least red, which will take about 2 hours. Check it occasionally to be sure the marinade hasn't completely evaporated, and pour the additional marinade over the roast, one-fourth at a time.

　　

Step 7

6. When the boar is roasted remove it from the oven, and set it on a platter in warm spot, loosely covered, to sit for at least 20 minutes so the juices have a chance to retreat back into the meat. To prepare the sauce, transfer the cooking juice and any browned bits from the bottom of the baking dish to a medium sized saucepan. Whisk in the chicken or veal stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce by about one-fourth, then stir in the red current jelly. Continue cooking and whisking until the sauce is smooth and satiny, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

　　

Step 8

7. Before slicing the boar remove as many of the cloves as possible. Thinly slice the wild boar and arrange it on a platter. Garnish with flat-leaf parsley leaves. Either pour the sauce over the meat, or serve it on the side.

　　

Step 9

*Leg of wild boar is available for mail order from:

　　

Step 10

Broken Arrow Ranch

　　

Step 11

P.O. Box 530

　　

Step 12

Ingram, TX 78025

　　

Step 13

(800) 962-4263