FROM SCRATCH LINGUINE CARBONARA WITH WILD BOAR

This recipe includes how to confit wild boar, how to make linguine from scratch, and how to tie everything together in an AH-MAZING wild boar carbonara! Seriously, it'll knock your socks off!

INGREDIENTS:

Linguine
220 g high quality flour (such as Anson Mills or Caputo)
Salt, to taste
7 fresh egg yolks
1 tbsp olive oil

Boar
1 wild boar backstrap
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Carbonara
1 cup rendered fat from a stew or roast
8 fresh egg yolks
1 tsp red wine vinegar
¾ tsp Dijon mustard
1 pinch salt
Smoked paprika, to taste
Black pepper flakes, to taste
2 shallots
1 pinch fresh thyme
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 cup vegetable broth, warmed
Fresh arugula, optional

Tools
Chitarra pasta cutter
Dutch oven or oven-safe dish 
Mixing bowls
Cutting board
Knife
Large skillet

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the Boar
1. To confit the wild boar backstrap, place the boar in an oven-safe dish, season as desired, and drizzle generously with olive oil.
2. Cook in a 250°F oven for 4-6 hours.
3. Remove from oven, set aside to cool, then seal and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Linguine
4. Combine the flour and salt in a small bowl, mix gently, then dump into a pile onto a clean countertop.
5. Make a well in the pile of flour and pour in the egg yolks.
6. Begin mixing. We used a bench scraper and spatula, you can also use a fork and/or your hands.
7. Once everything is mixed well and chunky, squeeze with your hands to form a ball and knead for 8-10 minutes.
8. Once smooth, lightly flour the outside of the dough ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let rest for about 30 minutes.
Prepare the Carbonara Sauce
9. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper flakes.
10. Begin whisking the ingredients together while you very slowly pour in the rendered fat. Continue whisking until you've added all of the fat. Set aside.
Roll Out the Pasta
11. Flatten your pasta dough into a disk and run through a pasta machine on the first setting, then the second, then the third.
12. Fold everything up into a rectangle, flour and roll lightly, then repeat the above process with the pasta machine.
13. If your pasta sheet is super long, cut it in half and flour both pieces lightly.
14. Using a chitarra pasta cutter, roll out your linguine! (This can also be done using your pasta machine or a very sharp knife to cut into thin strips.)
Cook the Pasta & Assemble the Carbonara
15. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
16. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
17. While the pan heats up, shred your boar confit and thinly slice the shallots.
18. Sauté the shallots for 1-2 minutes, until softened. Reduce heat to low and add the shredded boar and a pinch of fresh thyme.
19. Drop your pasta into the boiling water.
20. Stir the grated parmesan into the egg yolk/fat emulsion and season with a pinch of black pepper flakes.
21. Quickly drain the pasta and stir into the egg emulsion mixture. Also stir in about 1 cup of warmed vegetable broth at this time. Finally, add the boar and mix well. (At this point, you can also stir in some fresh arugula, if desired.)
22. Transfer to serving bowls, top with a bit of freshly grated parmesan, and dig in!