Wild Boar stew with morels and black garlic

Kcal 732*

*For every medium-low speed running activity (8Km/h), the AVERAGE calorie consumption is of approximately 8Kcal x Kg x height, considering an average female weight of 60 Kg and an average male weight of 80 Kg.

This recipe is a classic French stew, but with the substitution of wild boar neck meat for the typical lean stewing beef. If you do not have wild boar neck meat in your freezer or fridge, you can substitute neck meat from other large game animal or beef, but please try to source neck meat. Neck meat tends to be a tough cut, full of a connective tissue called collagen.  It’s the perfect cut to use for slow braises and stews, as the collagen breaks down over the long, slow cooking period.  As the collagen breaks down, it dissolves and surrounds the muscle fibres in gelatine, creating a succulent mouthfeel.  This cut is  popular in many asian cuisines, so if you don’t have game meat, and can’t find it at your local butcher, check out a Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese grocery store as they will likely have it.
Another ingredient that I use here is black garlic, which can be easily made, or purchased from specialty food stores.  It’s time intensive to make yourself, so ensure you have some on hand before proceeding or substitute caramelized garlic or even just regular garlic instead.  The flavour will be different and won’t have the intense roasted caramelized richness from the black garlic but it will still be delicious.
Lastly, I add morels because they pair very nicely with the rich deep flavours in this stew.  You can use fresh or dried and can substitute other wild mushrooms or cultivated if preferred.  The deep earthy richness of the morels is best, so use them if you are lucky enough to have them.
Because this is a very rich stew, I like to serve it with gremolata (recipe below) to brighten it up and to add balance to the dish.  It’s not essential, but a very nice addition.