When that first bite of cold hits the air, there’s nothing we want more than comfort food we can see ourselves enjoying in a ski chalet somewhere or cuddled up with family around a fire. As holidays around the world have been downsized and and altered, we can still be sure that good food will be had. And to help, Bella Levedag of The Essential Everything is graciously sharing some of her favorite winter recipes with us. Today, we’re making a delicious wild boar ragout!

To prepare this amazing dish, we recommend using Le Creuset‘s Oval Dutch Oven and Classic Saucepan. “The wild boar ragout is something very celebratory, as it is such a rare and special meat,” Bella explains. “I also love to make roasts or stews that take a few hours to cook. I enjoy the process of slow cooking—it is something that is so important for us humans in this fast-tracked, hectic world.”

Bella, who started The Essential Everything at the end of March in the midst of the first Covid-19 lockdowns, was taught how to cook by her mother. The first meal they made together was a semolina pudding, when she was only three years old. “Being an only child to a single mother, a lot of time was spent in the kitchen, preparing meals together,” Bella says. “Cooking and eating were always very celebrated in my mother’s home.”

This Christmas, Bella and her family are celebrating in their home in the Austrian mountains. “We all needed a change of scenery and are incredibly grateful to be able to have this home away from home,” she remarks. “The kitchen is old and small, so there will be more simple cooking like soups, Austrian delicacies, Schnitzel, and Kaiserschmarren.”

Below, try your hand at Bella’s wild boar ragu—sure to be a hit at Christmas or throughout the winter!

If you try out this wonderful recipe, DM us a photo of the before, during, or after!