Cook at Home Like a Top Chef: Wild Boar with Plums and Parsley Purée by Patrik Pokrývka

Patrik Pokrývka is one of the finest chefs in Slovakia—and now you can prepare one of the delicacies he serves at Hotel Lomnica in your own kitchen. Our Young Talent of the Year shares a beautiful recipe composed of several components. At its heart is tender, juicy wild boar neck served with Karlovy Vary dumpling and parsley purée. The dish is completed with pickled kohlrabi, plum jam and pickled plums, a bacon crisp, and lovage oil. 

Wild Boar Neck, Parsley Purée, Dumpling, Plums, Bacon Crisp

(10 smaller portions)

 1. Wild Boar Neck and Sauce

Ingredients:

• Wild boar neck 2.3 kg

• Carrot 400 g

• Parsley root 400 g

• Onion 400 g

• Garlic 20 g

• Tomato paste 40 g

• Red wine 750 ml

• Oil 50 g

• Butter 150 g

• Thyme (sprigs) 10 g

• Elderflower vinegar 15 g

• Maple syrup, to taste

• Salt, to taste

• Water, as needed

 Method:

Lightly sauté the diced root vegetables in oil until softened. Add the onion, season with salt, add a little maple syrup, and sauté until dark. Deglaze with red wine and allow it to caramelize; repeat this process several times until you achieve a deep, dark base that is not bitter. Add the tomato paste, briefly sauté, then add water and simmer to release all the flavors from the bottom of the pot.

Sear the wild boar neck well on all sides. Transfer the meat to a deep roasting dish, cover with the prepared base, add thyme, and cover. Braise in the oven at 180 °C for 3–4 hours, until the meat is completely tender—the skewer should slide in like into room-temperature butter.

Remove the cooked meat and let it cool. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, reduce until thick, finish with butter, and season with elderflower vinegar. Let the thyme infuse briefly, then remove.

2. Karlovy Vary Dumpling 

Ingredients: 

• Dried white bread 500 g

• Onion 150 g

• Bacon 50 g

• Butter 50 g

• Eggs 3

• Milk 500 ml

• Salt 12 g

• Parsley leaves 8 g

• Nutmeg, a pinch

Method:

Cut the bread into cubes and let it dry. Sauté the onion and bacon in butter, add milk, salt, and nutmeg, heat gently, and pour over the bread. Mix in the egg yolks and parsley. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them in. Transfer the mixture to a baking tray lined with parchment, cover, and steam for 30 minutes at 100 °C. Let cool, then cut into portions (approx. 60 g).

3. Parsley Purée

 Ingredients:

• Parsley root, peeled, approx. 550 g

• Butter 125 g

• Lemon juice 5 g

• Miso paste 25 g

• Maple syrup, to taste

• Salt, to taste

• Water, as needed

Method:

Cut the parsley into cubes and gently cook in butter over low heat until soft. Blend until smooth, adding water or butter as needed. Season with miso, lemon juice, maple syrup, and salt. The purée should be smooth and creamy.

4. Plum Jam

Ingredients:

• Plums (fresh or frozen) 170 g

• Sugar 35 g

• Beetroot juice 85 ml

• Redcurrant vinegar, to taste 

Method:

Make a light caramel from the sugar, add the plums, pour in the beetroot juice, and cook until fully reduced. Blend, pass through a sieve, and season to a sweet-and-sour balance. 

5. Pickled Plums

Ingredients:

• Plums 670 g

• Lemon juice 170 ml

• Elderflower syrup 170 ml

• Cloves 1.5 g

• Allspice 1.5 g

 Method:

Cut the plums into wedges. Bring the lemon juice and elderflower syrup to a boil with the spices and pour the hot liquid over the plums. Leave to pickle. 

6. Pickled Kohlrabi

Ingredients:

• Kohlrabi 100 g

• Wine vinegar 50 ml

• Sugar 50 g

• Water 50 ml

• A pinch of fennel seeds

Method:

Slice the kohlrabi into thin strips (approx. 5 × 1 cm). Bring the vinegar, sugar, water, and fennel seeds to a boil and pour the hot brine over the kohlrabi. Let cool and pickle.

7. Bacon Crisp

 Ingredients:

• Bacon 100 g

Method:

Place bacon slices between two sheets of baking paper and weigh down the top. Bake at 160 °C for 20 minutes until browned, then remove the weight and finish drying until completely crisp.

8. Lovage Oil

Ingredients:

• Lovage leaves 35 g

• Parsley leaves 15 g

• Oil 135 ml

 Method:

Briefly blanch the lovage and parsley (10–15 seconds), immediately cool in cold water, and dry thoroughly. Blend with the oil until smooth (about 2–3 minutes), then immediately strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a chilled bowl. Store refrigerated.