Wild boar stew with red port

Here in the Algarve, we live more off what the land, the air and the sea give us. Well, give…. You do have to pick it, catch it or shoot it :) Take wild boar for example (Javali in Portuguese). Chef Sérgio shares his delicious wild boar stew with red port.

After the summer months, early mornings in the Algarve are often filled with the sound of gunshots. Hunting season has begun. Various animals are hunted, but Javali is definitely the local favourite. In winter, we’ll regularly eat wild boar stew as the daily special in neighbourhood eateries.

I wanted to create my own wild boar recipe. Inspired by a dish from Onno Kleyn, I came up with this version using a marinade of red port and fresh orange juice. Friends who got to taste it were unanimously happy. And more important: Astrid approved too 😊

I make this dish in a slow cooker, but you can also prepare it in a traditional casserole pot. In that case, allow about 5 hours of gentle simmering on low heat.

One of the bonuses of living in the Algarve is that fresh herbs grow wild almost everywhere. During a beautiful walk on the Cerro de Cabeça, I picked the herbs used in this dish straight from nature.

Recipe: Javali Português de Sérgio – Wild boar stew

Ingredients (serves 8 persons)

• 1.25 kg wild boar, cubed
• 250 ml red port (I used ruby port)
• 250 ml fresh orange juice
• 2 chouriço sausages (about 400 g total)
• 3 celery stalks
• 2 onions
• 1 large winter carrot
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 handfuls of flour
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 vegetable stock cubes
• 1 red chilli
• 2 sprigs sage
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs oregano
• 2 sprigs rosemarymarijn

How to make

• +/- About 30 minutes prep + 8 hours in a slow cooker or 5 hours in a casserole pot
• The night before:
• Marinate the wild boar the evening before cooking.
• Mix the red port and orange juice in a large bowl and add the wild boar cubes.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

• The next morning:
• Remove the marinated wild boar from the fridge.
• Slice the chouriço into chunks (remove the casing first).
• Wash the celery, peel the onions and garlic, and scrape the carrot.
• Roughly chop everything and place it in a food processor.
• Pulse until finely chopped, but still clearly recognisable — don’t overdo it.
• Finely chop the red chilli. Your mise en place is done.

• Drain the wild boar in a sieve, catching the marinade liquid in a bowl.
• Dust the wild boar cubes with flour in the same bowl used for marinating.
• Heat the olive oil in a wok or casserole over high heat and sear the meat in 2–3 batches until nicely browned on the outside.
  
• If using a slow cooker:
• Transfer the browned meat to the slow cooker.
• Gently sauté the vegetables in the same pan until soft and translucent, then add them to the slow cooker.
  
• If using a casserole pot:
• Remove the meat from the pan and return it to the floured bowl.
• Lower the heat to medium and gently sauté the vegetables in the same pot.
• Add the meat back into the pan.

• Add the chopped chilli, reserved marinade (port & orange juice) and chopped tomatoes.
• Crumble the stock cubes into the pot and stir well.
• You can strip the herbs from their stems if you prefer, but I added sage, thyme and oregano whole, stems and all.
• Add the rosemary only during the last 2 hours. Strip the leaves from the stems and chop finely before adding.
• Stir everything once more and place the lid on the pot.
• Set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours, or let the casserole simmer gently on low heat.
• After 6 hours in the slow cooker (or about 3 hours in a casserole), remove the lid, stir in the rosemary and let the stew reduce for another ±2 hours until it reaches the right consistency.
• You’re looking for something in between: not mushy, not soupy. Find the right balance to your liking. It may need a little less time.

We served this stew with tagliatelle, but it’s just as delicious with Portuguese rice or orzo.

Tip

Make the stew a day ahead: the flavours only improve.
Javali also freezes beautifully in portions, making it a perfect quick dish when guests drop by.

Bom apetite! 🍷✨