20 Nebraskaland • April 2019
VENISON BOLOGNESE
By Ryan Sparks
IN THE FIELD
Bolognese is a meat-based sauce
created in Bologna, Italy. Unlike its
bright red, tomato-based North
American counterpart, this sauce is
all about the meat. A true Bolognese
is slowly cooked to produce a thick
and silky sauce. This version uses
venison and is the perfect winter meal
to celebrate the hunt with friends. If
you have leftover Bolognese, mix it
with a béchamel sauce to make an
unbelievably good lasagna. One note
about the soffritto (mixture of onions,
carrots, and celery): take your time and
dice everything evenly small (
1
⁄4-inch
max). Put your knife skills to work and
ensure the mixture incorporates into
the sauce.
Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ingredients:
•
2 tablespoons olive oil
•
¼ cup butter
•
1 medium yellow onion, diced
•
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
•
2 celery stalks, diced
•
4 garlic cloves, minced
•
1 cup diced pancetta – about 4½
ounces/125 grams (If you can't
find pancetta, bacon works as a
substitute.)
•
1 teaspoon kosher salt
•
Freshly ground black pepper
•
2¼ pounds ground venison (I add
pork fat to my ground venison. If
you don't, substitute ¼ pound of
venison with fatty ground pork.)
•
1 cup dry white wine
•
2 cups whole milk
•
1 can (28 ounces) San Marzano
tomatoes
•
1 cup venison broth (beef broth
can be substituted)
To Serve:
•
Freshly grated Parmigiano-
Reggiano
•
Dried pappardelle or tagliatelle
(any broad, flat pasta will work)
•
Fresh basil
•
Good olive oil
•
Butter
In a large pot or Dutch oven, add
the butter and the oil over medium
heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery,
garlic, and half of the salt. Sauté for 5
minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Add the diced pancetta and cook
for 10 minutes or until the pancetta
is golden.
Increase the heat to medium/
high and add a third of the venison,
