Recipe: Venison Summer Ragu

Camera — The cuisine pieces are coming together.

PREP TIME: 20 MIN. | COOK TIME: 3 HRS. | SERVES: 4

When the summer veggies start to peak, I get truly excited. There’s the ability to use things that have similar colors and flavors, and most everything is in season. Purple basil and sage are flourishing in my herb garden. Purple carrots with yellow insides are crisp and sweet. Chard is available in all the colors. And blood oranges — while out of season somewhat in the west — still are available and tasty. Thus, bringing acid alongside a crisp white wine for braising.

When you’re craving a slow-cooked meal, but want to balance the deep, rich notes of a braised antelope or deer roast, acid is key. But it must be balanced with some fat.

You’ll want to sear your meat in half a stick of butter, as this will eventually be the backbone for your pasta sauce, helping water-based liquids to emulsify and thicken.

Simmering chunks of venison takes time, and don’t be tempted to crank your heat. Every last bit of boiling will extend your cook time in my experience, causing the muscle fibers to contract more violently. The one way to speed the process up is to use a pressure cooker, but you always lose a bit of richness in flavor in the trade for time savings. Your choice!

Recipe: Venison Corn Dog

This is a dish that benefits from being served with fresh pasta that can hold the delicate sauce that will come out at the end. So, think something with some folds or shells. If you’re lucky like me, you’ll have a fresh pasta shop and a gift card. If not, even the cheaper grocers have packs of fresh pasta.

With this meal, a fresh cheese tortellini or gnocchi wouldn’t be a terrible move, and are maybe the most common. When cooking pasta, remember to salt your water, and if your tap water isn’t that tasty, maybe use filtered for cooking the pasta. (It will absorb all those flavors.)

Lastly, with the wine, don’t buy the cheapest bottle. But there’s no need to ball out for the most expensive, either. Think second or third price tier up, if you can swing it. You’ll only need half the bottle for cooking, the rest you can drink or save for another meal.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. venison (epic with antelope)
1 blood orange
Bunch purple basil
6-8 sage leaves
1 stick butter
Freshly grated parmesan (to garnish)
6-8 purple carrots
Bunch purple or rainbow chard
Head of garlic
1 chopped sweet yellow onion
Tablespoon chicken bouillon paste or 2 cups wild bird stock
12 oz. fresh pasta
Fresh cracked black pepper to garnish
1 bottle white wine

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DETAILED STEPS

Chop venison roast into 2-inch chunks and salt liberally (no, it’s not a conspiracy).
Chop your onion.
Separate chard into stems and leaves.
Chop large stems into ½-inch chunks, cut leaves into 2-inch squares.
Heat soup pan or Dutch oven to medium high and melt 4 tablespoons (half stick) of butter.
Sear meat.
Add in chopped onion and chard stems.
Deglaze pan with a half bottle of wine and reduce heat to low.
Toss in half a juiced blood orange, the head of garlic halved, carrots cut in large pieces, and the. bay leaf with the spoon of bouillon paste.
(Note: You could substitute stock for wine but add some extra orange for acid.)
When carrots are tender, remove from pot to not overcook. Set aside for later.
When meat is fork tender, pull chunks out and set aside.
Add chard leaves and adjust salt and orange for flavor.
Boil salty water for pasta.
Once chard is tender, pour off braising liquid, blend with one piece of carrot, garlic pieces, and some fresh basil for sauce.
Toss in fresh pasta into sauce until al dente, just tender, and not overdone.
Drain pasta and toss into sauce with a little bit of the starchy pasta water to help further thicken and coat the pasta.
Add a couple pieces of carrot to the liquid and blend until smooth.
Thicken with a roux or corn starch if you feel it’s still too thin.
Plate the pasta with sauce, then the vegetables and meat on top.