Venison Sauce for Spaghetti

Introduction

  • Serves 4-6 People

Venison makes a rich and delicious sauce for pasta – particularly spaghetti. It contains little or no fat, except for the olive oil. This is a particular favourite with children. Make a large batch and freeze in individual portions.

Ingredients

Sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil
75g pancetta cubes or streaky bacon
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ stick celery, finely chopped
350g minced Venison
3 tsp. tomato purée
150ml full-bodied red wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. dried Herbes de Provence
300-600ml beef or game stock
100ml milk
450g dried spaghetti
fresh basil leaves and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

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Method

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the pancetta or bacon, cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until just browning.

Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook for 5 minutes until beginning to brown. Now add the Venison and stir it around, breaking up the big lumps with the back of the spoon for 5-6 minutes until it has changed colour all over.

Stir in the tomato purée then the red wine. Bring to the boil and boil fast until all the liquid disappears.

Season with salt and pepper, the nutmeg, herbs and add 300ml stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer half covered for about 30 minutes (top up with more stock if it looks as if it is too dry).

After 30 minutes, stir in the milk, then simmer for a further 15 minutes until thick and creamy. Serve with freshly cooked spaghetti, sprinkled with basil leaves and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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