Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Wild Boar Scallopini & Fried Gnocchi with a Butter Caper Sauce

By: The Food Hunter

I recently had the opportunity to work with Marx Foods, an online specialty grocer that caters to chefs and enthusiastic home cooks. I was sent two wild boar tenderloins which looked and tasted like nothing I had ever worked with in the past. The meat was darker in color, leaner in texture, bolder in taste and extremely tender. The reason for this, I later learned, is that the boar is truly "wild" not farm raised which makes all the difference.

I prepared each of the loins differently: one very basic and sauce free in order to let the meat shine. The second loin was prepared scaloppined and topped with a butter caper sauce. I loved both preparations and can attest that the Marx Food wild boar is tasty enough to stand on its own.


Wild Boar Scaloppini & Fried Gnocchi in a Caper Butter Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound wild boar scaloppini (less than 1/4 inch thick)
salt & pepper

In a shallow bowl, stir together flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dredge boar in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.

Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until hot, lower to medium and add oil. Cook boar in batches, turning once, until browned and just cooked through, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Gnocchi
1 1/2 lbs potato
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt

Bake the whole potatoes until they are soft. While still warm, peel and pass through ricer onto a clean surface. Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot.

Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using just enough flour to make them firm but moist. Place egg and salt in center of well and using your hands, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork or gnocchi ridger.

Drop into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them.

Butter Caper Sauce & Fried Gnocchi

1½ sticks of butter, or more to taste
20-25 capers
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat, add capers and heat until the butter is sizzling gently. Stir and continue cooking for about a minute. Add the gnocchi and cook, tossing occasionally, until they're lightly brown, about 5 minutes.

Add in the cheese just before serving along side the wild boar scallopini.

12 comments:

  1. Oh my, the gnocchi and caper butter sauce look divine! So much goodness and comfort there :-) I've only made my own gnocchi once, and it was an epic fail. So I must try this again!!

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  2. While I'm a fan of wild boar, I think I'd be perfectly content to load up on that gnocchi.

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  3. I would love to try wild boar! I'm such a fan of gnocchi, especially when it's crisped up in a pan with butter, so this is looking like a meal I'd love to try.

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  4. I just ate wild boar for the first time about a month ago - it was delicious!

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  5. I am drooling for that butter caper cheese sauce, oh my yum!

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  6. oh that sauce sounds amazing. gnocchi is one of my absolute favorite things ever. I've never tried boar. You've got me curious!

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  7. We love gnocchi! Can't get enough of them!

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  8. This looks a-ma-zing! I've eaten wild boar in restaurant, but have never tried cooking with it. You've inspired me!

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  9. I must say wild boar would be something new for us. The gnocchi looks divine!

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  10. I had wild boar in Prague, it was delicious, your preparation sounds wonderful!

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  11. I've never had boar, but I'd love to try it! Your recipe looks simple and perfect - those are the best kind!

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  12. Oh gnocchi ... I love perfect, pillowy little gnocchi -- this looks incredible!

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