Wild Boar in Sweet and Sour Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 lb wild boar or hare, suitable for braising, cut into pieces
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 1/2 bottle good red wine
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp juniper berries
• 2 bay leaves
• salt
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 oz. grated bitter chocolate
• 1/3 cup raisins soaked in water
• 1/2 cup pitted dried prunes, soaked in water
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions:

• 24 hours ahead, put the meat in a good-sized flameproff casserole together with the carrots, celery, and onions.  Add the wine and marinate for 24 hours, turning the meat from time to time.
• On the serving day, remove the meat from the marinate, pat dry.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil unitil it begins to color.  Brown the meat on all asides.  Strain the vegetables from the marinate, add to the meat with the juniper berries, 1 of the bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Pour some of the marinate over.  Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until th meat is tender, adding the remaining marinade, a little at a time.
• Transfer the meat to a flameproof casserole.   Puree the vegetables, then pour them over the meat and reheat.  In a saucepan, melt the sugar with the garlic and remaining bay leaf, and cook until lightly colored.  Add the vinegar and bitter chocolate.  Boil for a few minutes.  Add the sauce to the meat together with the raisins, prunes and pine nuts.  Simmer together for 10 minutes before serving.

The renaissance of Italian Cooking
Lorenza De' Medici
Page 103