Paleo: Boaring, But Certainly Not Boring

Eating wild meats, fish and game is tantamount to following a nicely balanced Paleo diet. 

Can you be Paleo if all you ever eat as far as protein goes is boneless, skinless chicken breasts and egg whites?

Technically, yes, but how boring would that be?  And oh-so-1990’s with the ‘no or low fat mentality’; no thanks.  I prefer to go a bit wild.  Wild boar, that is, as well as wild antelope, elk and venison amongst other proteins that some may class as ‘exotic’.

I choose what I can source locally and sustainably; I’m not one for buying lion meat obtained via unethical sources, for example.

After perusing online a little, I found a fab recipe that I easily Paleoized; and prepared for dinner last weekend. 

Rest assured, this was not a boaring meal!

Ingredients

3 # Wild Boar Leg
Olive oil
Fresh Thyme
Fresh black figs, for garnish

‘Stuffing’
2 cups fresh black figs
1 cup fresh dates
1 cup coarsely chopped, lightly roasted walnuts

Sauce
2 cups zinfandel wine
1 Tbsp chopped shallots
1 cup chopped figs
2 cups homemade sodium beef broth

Combine all stuffing ingredients in a food processor and coarsely chop. Set aside.

Remove meat from the bone and clean any remaining tendons/sinew from inside of leg.  Lay meat on counter with “outside” of leg facing down and “inside” facing up. Evenly coat inside of leg with half of the stuffing mixture then roll leg back into a fairly even ball. Truss the leg with butcher’s twine. Rub the outside of the wild boar leg with a bit of olive oil and fresh thyme. Place the leg on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast at 350° F until the internal temperature has reached 145° F, approximately 1 hour. Remove the leg from the oven and let it rest approximately 20 minutes. Slice into individual portions, garnish with the remaining stuffing, fresh black figs, and sauce.

Sauce preparation: In a heavy bottom sauce pan combine wine and figs. Cook on high until the mixture reaches the consistency of a conserve (thick and syrupy). Remove from the heat, puree in blender, and strain through a fine sieve. Set aside. In a heavy bottom sauce pan, add the shallots, splash of wine, and reduce until almost dry. Add the fig port syrup and demi-glace. Reduce by one half. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.

Allow ½ pound of meat per person.

(The original recipe was written by Chef Rosemary Campiformio)

Serve with your choice of fresh veggies- the greener the better!