Flavors of Fall

Chef Alon Shaya of Domenica shares a hearty ragu that’s so much more.

Cavatelli
10 ounces pasta flour
8 ounces ricotta cheese
2 eggs
Salt to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Place flour on a wooden table or cutting board and make a well in the middle with your fingers. Add the ricotta cheese, eggs, salt and nutmeg to the middle. Using your fingers, begin to work the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they all come together and form a dough.

Knead the dough with your hands for about 8-10 minutes or until it looks smooth. Sprinkle a touch more flour on the work surface if the dough begins to stick. Let dough rest for 1 hour. Place the dough through a pasta machine and roll down until you reach the third to last setting of the machine (No. 2 if the machine’s finest setting is No. 0).

Take the sheet and cut lengthwise into 1-inch strips. Take each strip and roll into a rope about a 1/2-inch thick. Then cut 1 1/2 segments from each rope. With your index, middle and ring fingers, press into the dough and pull your fingers towards you. The dough should curl up and become hollow on the inside.

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Once you have a few made, dust with flour and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Then you can wrap and place inside a freezer for future use.

Wild Boar Ragu
2 pounds bone-in wild boar neck or shoulder (the neck meat has great flavor)
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped fine
1 whole carrot, peeled and chopped fine
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 cup diced red tomatoes, peeled and cored
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 whole black peppercorns
2 sprigs rosemary
1 sprig oregano
2 bay leaves
1 quart veal stock or water

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Season the wild boar with salt and pepper. In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven, place 1/4 cup of olive oil on high heat and wait until it begins to smoke. Add the seasoned veal. Reduce heat to medium. Brown the veal on all sides. Remove from the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook over medium heat until golden brown. Add the tomatoes and wine and simmer until the wine reduces by half. Add the veal stock, clove, nutmeg, peppercorns, rosemary, oregano and bay leaves. Place the veal back into the pot. The liquid should barely cover the boar. Bring to simmer and cover. Place into a 325 degree oven for 2 hours.

Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Remove veal from broth and pull all the meat off the bones. Cut meat up into small bite size pieces and add back to the broth. (This can be made 2 days ahead of time.)

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Assembly
3 Tablespoons cold butter
6 Tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Cavatelli
Wild boar ragu

Place the boar ragu into a large sauté pan, or two small ones. Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil. Add 2 Tablespoons of salt to the water. Place the cavatelli into the water and cook for 5-7 minutes until tender but still firm. Add to the boar ragu and simmer until the sauce reduces and coats the cavatelli. Add in 1 ounce of butter and 1 ounce of grated parmigiano reggiano. Taste for seasoning with salt and pepper and enjoy. Serves 6.

Domenica
The Roosevelt New Orleans
123 Baronne St. 
648-1200

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