Reader Advisory - Hunting wild game is described in this post!
The Tandem Spirits are not hunters; however, we have neighbors who do hunt. Italians in our region are still quite connected with the land. They forage and hunt for all sorts of seasonal flora and fauna. Our neighbors definitely enjoy these activities and sometimes we are the beneficiaries of their adventures. Occasionally they bring us wild greens or mushrooms or truffles when they are in season.
We’ve gotten to know our neighbors Feliciano and his wife Margarita over the past several years. He’s a retired plumber and Margarita works in a pastry shop. Sometimes the fragrances of freshly baked pastries coming from her kitchen are unbearable.
Last October, Feliciano went hunding and bagged a roe deer commonly known here as a capriolo. A couple of weeks later he brought up a stew Margerita had made with the deer meat. Of course, I didn’t miss the opportunity to make a pasta dinner with the sugo!
As someone who grew up in the Western U.S., I’m no stranger to eating venison. I’ve eaten plenty of deer that friends hunted. I’ve also eaten and prepared farm-raised venison as a professional cook. I can tell you that the stew you see above is the best deer I’ve ever eaten.
A couple of months ago, Feliciano bagged another capriolo. He was also successful in hunting a wild boar known as cinghiale . As in many places in North America and Europe, this animal has become a serious problem in Italy. They’ve even been spotted in Rome. After having harvested these creatures, he wanted to have a big dinner with all the neighbors in our little complex and enjoy something special.
This was the capriolo Feliciano shot most recently. It was about 70lbs.
Timing the dinner was important as we had to wait for the temperatures to fall. It has been a brutally hot summer this year. We also had to wait for everyone to return from their summer vacations. August is the time when many things here are “chiuso per ferie’ Closed for vacation.
It all finally came together last week. We had dinner with Feliciano, Margarita, our landlords Assunta and Guido and their son, Maurizio. We started with a classic appetizer of eggs with black truffles accompanied by prosciutto and salami with Pizza di Pasqua, a traditional Umbrian cheese bread. The black truffles came from Guido and Maurizio who go out with their three dogs during truffle season.
A frittata di tartuffo (truffle omelete)
Next came the pasta which was tagliatelle with a ragu made with the capriolo. This was incredibly delicious. Margaritia made another outstanding sauce.
The main course was a wild boar roast. Our landlady Assunta slow-cooked it in her wood burning oven which is in her back yard.
Interestingly, cinghali is a fairly lean meat, so it needs to be braised. Also, it’s common to use some strong, complementary herbs and spices to enhance the flavor (bay, juniper, rosemary, etc.). Also, this particular roast was “barded” with pancetta, meaning the roast was covered with slices of un-smoked bacon to add fat and keep the roast from being too dry.
The flavor was rich, but not at all strong or gamey.
Feliciano carving the wild boar roast!
Of course, no good meal would be complete without a delicious dessert. Margarita baked very traditional Umbrian jam tortas. Also, she mad an Umbrian strudle known as a rocciata. They are unique in that they contain dried fruits, apples, nuts and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. They’re also splashed with a particular spirit called Alchermes liqueur.
It was really nice for our neighbors to invite us over for dinner. Our landlords are really lovely people. Their son Maurizio and his wife Jessica are also wonderful. You would never know that Feliciano is retired. He’s always engaged in projects (when he’s not out foraging!). Margarita, being a baker, keeps unholy hours, but she’s always engaging!
