5 from 1 vote

Venison Bolognese

Rich, hearty venison bolognese sauce slow-cooked to perfection. This Italian venison ragu is perfect for cozy dinners and holiday feasts.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Serving: 6

Calories: 218kcal

Author: Andrea Soranidis

Ingredients

3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, finely minced
1 celery stalk, finely minced
1 golden onion, finely minced
450 g venison meat, minced or finely cubed
170 ml red wine
400 ml pureed tomatoes, or 3 tablespoon triple concentrate tomato paste
1 bay leaf, optional
100 ml vegetable stock, or brodo di pollo (chicken stock)
120 ml fresh whole milk
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat a large saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat. Add in the carrot, celery and onion and cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes, until the veggies have softened.
Add in the minced venison and continue to cook, stirring often, until it's browned.
Pour in the wine and allow it to evaporate, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
Pour the tomato sauce into the saucepan and add in the bay leaf. Reduce heat to very low, partially cover with a lid, then slowly cook the ragu' for at least 2 hours.
Stir the sauce occasionally, and if you see it's drying out, pour in a bit of stock. During the last half an hour of cooking, pour in the milk a little at a time, until fully incorporated.
The sauce is ready when it reaches a dense and rich texture. If it's still too runny, let it cook a little more. Season with a pinch of cinnamon and sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Serve with egg tagliatelle or short pasta, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese on the side.

Notes

Chop the veggies by hand. I know that using a food processor might be tempting, but the hand-chopped soffritto gives the ragu' a unique texture.
Use a large heavy-duty pan or a cast-iron pot, that will hold the heat steady.
If you use ground meat, the cooking process should take about 2 hours.
If you use knife-chopped meat instead you want to slow cook it for up to 3 hours until the meat breaks downs nicely into the sauce.
Cooking the bolognese at very low heat is the real secret that will thicken your sauce.
Leave the salt and pepper out until the very end. The ragu' should be seasoned once it is cooked through.

How To Store It: Once cooked through, allow to cool and divide the bolognese sauce among freezer-friendly containers, and store in the freezer up to 3 months.

Bolognese keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.