Cinghiale is king in Toscana (wild boar sauce at Siena)

Here’s another photo we received over the weekend from our resident blogger Do Bianchi, who is traveling is Tuscany right now, documenting the 2010 harvest.

The wild boar, cinghiale (cheen-gee-AH-leh) in Italian, is king of Tuscan country cuisine.

Back here in Austin, I use Texas wild boar to make ragù al cinghiale, wild boar sauce, inspired by my externship at the famous Ristorante il Pino in San Gimignano. Just like in Toscana, we use the sauce to dress our pappardelle (above), long, broad handmade noodles ideal for absorbing the rich, earthy sauce.