Venison Bolognese

Prep:

• Finely chop an onion, 3-4 ribs of celery

• Grate 2-3 carrots

• Mince 6 cloves of garlic

• Grate 1/2 cup of parm reg, and more for serving

Cook:

• Add 8 oz of cubed prosciutto (or bacon) to a large dutch oven over medium-high heat

• Once crisped up and plenty of pork fat is in the pan (5ish minutes), reduce the heat to medium and add in your diced onion. Cook for 5ish minutes, Use the moisture released by the onion to deglaze the pan

• Along the way, you can splash in a bit of olive oil if the pan loses all of its moisture. You don’t want the onion to burn. Use the moisture released by the onion to deglaze the pan

• Before the onion is translucent, add in celery and carrots. Add in a pinch of salt (if you’re using salty bacon, skip the salt here) and more olive oil, if needed. Give it another 5-8 minutes, stirring regularly

• After your mirepoix is looking and smelling good, add in the garlic. Give it 30-45 seconds and then add all of your meat to the pot: 1 lb of ground sweet Italian pork sausage, 1 - 1.5 lbs of ground venison (90/10 ground beef or lamb would also work)

• Push into the bottom of the pan and don’t touch it for a few minutes, stir and continue to brown over the next 10-15 minutes. Add a couple pinches of salt and pepper Raise the heat if needed

• Add 6 oz of tomato paste to the pan and caramelize. Stir into mixture

• Deglaze with 1.5 cups of dry white wine (use the same kind you are drinking)

• Add in 1.5 cups of whole milk and 8 oz of tomato sauce. Add in a small splash of vinegar (1 tbsp)

• Bring to a simmer. Add in a bouquet garni (tie together fresh thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano and 2 bay leaves)

• Simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and season along the way

• Cook 1.5 lbs of fettuccine (check out the home made pasta recipe in the Cacio E Pepe recipe if you really want to elevate it and make your kitchen a mess!)

• Use pasta water to adjust the thickness of your bolognese sauce, as desired

• Mix the cheese into the sauce right before serving

• Garnish with some parsley and chopped grape tomatoes and serve with crispy Italian loaf

Optional:

• Tear up and wilt a bunch of kale in the sauce - should take 2-3 minutes for the kale to wilt

• Add in mushrooms

• Add in a cup of beef stock or more tomato sauce before the long simmer for a soupier sauce. A spoonful of flour in the mirepoix will lead to a thicker sauce. Experiment with these variables!

• Spring mix salad with balsamic vinaigrette, grated parm, tomatoes, shaved carrots, cucumber red onion, and roasted root veggies as a side (toss in olive oil, salt, pepper - roast at 400 degrees until soft and browned)