Venison Bolognese

Name: Venison Bolognese
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; Kosher salt; 3 ribs celery, finely chopped; 2 carrots, finely grated; 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 1.5 pounds ground venison; 1 pound ground pork; 8 ounces ground pork fat or pancetta; 1 (8 oz) can tomato paste; Freshly ground black pepper; 1.5 cups dry white wine; 1.5 cups milk; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1 (6 oz) bunch kale or other leafy green, thinly sliced (optional); 1.5 pounds linguine; 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiani cheese

13 steps

Prep:30minCook:2h

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 05:37:17 GMT

Nutrition balance score

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Ingredients

6 servings

¼ cupolive oil

3 ribscelery

6 clovesgarlic

1.5 poundsground venison

1 poundground pork

8 ouncesground pork fat

or pancetta

1 x 8 ozcan tomato paste

freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ cupsdry white wine

1 ½ cupsmilk

3 sprigsfresh thyme

1bay leaf

1 x 6 ozkale

or other leafy green, thinly sliced, optional

1.5 poundslinguine

½ cupgrated Parmigiano-Reggiani cheese

Instructions

Step 1

Heat the oil in heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers.

Step 2

Add the onion, season lightly with salt, and cook until softened, translucent, and lightly caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 3

Add the salary and carrots, season with salt again, and cook until softened adding more oil if needed.

Step 4

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Step 5

Raise the heat to medium-high, add the venison, pork, and pork fat, and brown very well, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, about 15 minutes.

Step 6

When the meat has Brown and is audibly frying and it's own fat, you should hear a popping sound, push the meat to one side, creating a "hot spot" on the bottom of the pot.

Step 7

Add the tomato paste to the hotspot and caramelize it lightly (being careful not to burn it).

Step 8

Stir to incorporate into the meat and vegetables. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Step 9

Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot with a spoon to release the flavourful browned bits that have accumulated. Add the milk and bring to a bare simmer over medium low heat.

Step 10

Drop in the thyme and bay leaf and cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the flavors come together, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Step 11

If using the greens, add after the 1st hour, along with 1/2 cup water. After about 2 hours, adjust the seasonings and remove from the heat.

Step 12

Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Refrigerate if not serving right away. The sauce can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Step 13

To serve over pasta, reheat 3 cups of the sauce in a large skillet. Bring 6 qt of water with 3 tablespoons of salt to a rapid boil. Add the linguini and cook until al dente. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the sauce. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to incorporate. Remove from the heat, add the grated cheese, and gently mix together. Serve immediately.