The Literate Chef

The Kitchen is Open – Again

In General Articles on August 23, 2026 at 11:49 AM

It’s been a while since our last post. Life interfered and then COVID came on the scene and then life interfered again. But we made this dish (inspired by our friends the Fallons of New Hampshire) a few weeks ago, and we think it’s so good that we’re posting it for our subscribers, whomever is left, that is.

Fusilli Falloni

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb fusilli

2 packs of Boursin 

2&1/4 cups diced ham, (2 slices ham about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick, approximately 1 lb)

2&1/4 cups frozen peas (note)

Extra virgin olive oil

Pecorino – Romano cheese and fresh ground black pepper for serving 

PROCEDURE:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil
  2. Bring the Boursin to room temperature 
  3. Lightly brown the diced ham in olive oil, remove and set aside 
  4. Mash the Boursin with a fork
  5. When the water comes to a rolling boil, salt it and add the fusilli, cook for recommended time. Taste for doneness and add the peas for about 2 minutes more.
  6. Drain pasta and peas and add to large bowl.
  7. Toss with a few splashes of olive oil then add 1/2 the Boursin add the ham and toss some more, add the rest of the Boursin and toss again. As your tossing keep adding splashes of olive oil to prevent clumping of the Boursin 

Note, one diner suggested that all of the peas  (10oz.) be added in step 5.

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Wild Boar Stew

In Pork, Recipes, Stews on October 21, 2017 at 10:49 AM

Preparation time, 1 hour; Cooking time 4.5 hours. Serves 4.

Wild Boar Stew

Wild Boar Stew

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs. Wild Boar Shoulder, cubed 1.5-2.0 inches
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped fine
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
2 cups of Chianti
1 28 oz. can of Whole Peeled Tomatoes, chopped, retain liquid
6 tbsp. chopped fresh herb combination, (2 tbsp. each of oregano, rosemary & sage)
3 bay leaves
¾ lb. (about 12-14) of small yellow potatoes, leave whole
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

Procedure:

  1. In a heavy casserole pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
  2. In two batches, add the Wild Boar Meat, and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Brown the meat on all sides, turning frequently. When browned to your liking, remove meat and set aside.
  3. Add garlic, onions and celery to the pot and brown lightly, remove and set aside.
  4. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add back the meat and vegetables and any collected liquids.
  5. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, herbs and bay leaves, cover and bring to a boil.
  6. Lower heat, keep covered and cook for 3 hours.
  7. Remove bay leaves and discard. Remove meat and set aside.
  8. Transfer the gravy to a food processor and process until smooth. Add back the meat.
  9. Add the potatoes, and continue cooking on medium low for 1 hour.
  10. Add the carrots and continue cooking on medium low for 30 more minutes. The stew should cook for 4.5 hours total, excluding browning.

PLEASE SEE “IS IT AUTUMN YET?“

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Is it Autumn Yet?

In General Articles on October 21, 2017 at 10:45 AM

With the Harvest Moon making its recent appearance in the New England sky and Halloween a few weeks distant, the feel of Autumn should have been nigh; although based on our 70° weather, it’s propinquity might be a matter of conjecture. In any case like the Ant in the fable of The Ant and the Grasshopper, we thought it best to be prepared, so two weekends ago we did a bit of cooking, laying in some comfort meals for the eventual cool weather.

The key is making big batches of hearty meals that can be pre-portioned, then defrosted and heated up with little bother on those dark and chilly nights when you want to do nothing except curl up on the couch and watch Netflix.

So here they are, one old standby and two new ones: Uncle Fred’s Lentil Soup; Wild Boar Stew and Wild Boar Ragu. The Lentil Soup is an annual standby and an homage to my godfather, Fred. The Stew and the Ragu are the result of serendipity.

Half a century ago there was a restaurant on the Eastside of Manhattan called Friar Tuck’s. It was located on 2nd or 3rd Avenue, around 54th or 55th Street. It was there that I was introduced to the delights of wild game, specifically Medallions of Young Wild Boar.

Recently I received an email from D’Artagnan, a specialty butcher in Manhattan who does a great job of delivering hard to find cuts of meat to your front door (see Where have all the Butchers Gone?) The email advertised a Shoulder of Wild Boar weighing between 3 and 5 lbs. That got me thinking about Friar Tuck’s, as well as remembering a fabulous meal of Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragu, that I had in a Tuscan hill town, a number of years ago.   

The Shoulder of Wild Boar, delivered by FedEx two days after placing my order online, was 4lbs. I decided to split it in half and make a Stew and a Ragu. Portioning our the Ragu and the Stew should produce 10 individual meals. The Lentil Soup should provide an additional 10 or so individual meals.

I hope that Netflix is ready for some heavy duty autumn binge-watching!

 

 

 

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