Whenever spring hits we start itching to try new recipes, ones that are lighter than the starch-heavy foods we were craving during the winter months. Chef Justin Garrison from The Wine Kitchen, located just outside of Washington DC, came up with this unique Char-Braised Wild Boar Shank recipe that's full of hearty vegetables and fresh flavors. Paired with a light celeriac purée and roasted root vegetables, Chef Garrison tops it off with some tangy pomegranate seeds.

Boar Ingredients:

• 4 12-ounce boar shanks         
• 1/2 cup carrots
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1 cup yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 2 cups red wine
• 8 cups ham stock or veal stock
• 1 tablespoon blended oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Season the boar shanks well on each side, then place on the hot grill and turn until you have a good char on each side. Place the oil in a braising pan and heat on medium high, then add the carrots, onion, celery and garlic in the hot oil and cook until they begin to wilt.

Place the boar shanks in the braising pan on top of the vegetables, add the thyme, bay leaves and the red wine. Simmer the red wine for three minutes and then add the stock. The stock should cover 2/3 of the boar shank (this can depend on the size of the pan; more or less stock can be used if needed). Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven for four hours until very tender. Reserve the liquid in the pan.

Celeriac Purée Ingredients:

• 3.6 ounces butter
• 17.6 ounces celeriac
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Peel and chop the celeriac and place in a pot with the butter and cream. Simmer the celeriac until very tender. Season with salt to taste and then blend on high until very smooth. Remember to start the blender on low and work up to high - this prevents the puree from exploding from the top of the blender.

Roasted Root Vegetables Ingredients:

• 1 cup diced rutabaga
• 4 medium sized beets
• 2 bunches of baby carrots, peeled or just washed
• 1 cup baby onions, peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 sprigs rosemary
• 6 cloves garlic

Directions:

Start with beets, because they take the longest. Cover beets with one sprig of rosemary, one clove of garlic, and a little water. Roast them in a separate pan at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes until they fork tender. While the beets are roasting, toss the carrots with one tablespoon olive oil, two sprigs of rosemary and 2 cloves of garlic, and roast at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until tender. Toss the rutabaga with the baby onions, remaining olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Roast at 350 degrees for eight minutes until tender.

To Serve:

Place the roasted root vegetables in the bottom of a large serving dish or casserole dish. Then place the boar shanks on top of the root vegetables. Strain the liquid you reserved from braising the boar and melt in two tablespoons butter and season with salt and pepper. Pour a little over the boar and save the rest to serve on the side as a gravy. Serve the celeriac on the side as well and scoop as needed. Garnish the boar and vegetables with the seeds of one pomegranate. Enjoy!