Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 2 celery sticks
• 4 garlic cloves
• ½ oz dried porcini mushrooms
• 2-3 Parmesan rinds
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme
• 2 juniper berries, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 28¼ oz minced venison
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1¾ oz unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 17¾ oz dried bucatini pasta
• 3½ oz Parmesan, grated
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Method

1. Soak the porcini in a mug of boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid, and chop finely.
2. Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic, by hand or in a food processor.
3. Melt the butter in a large heavy pan over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured.
4. Turn the heat up, add the venison and cook, breaking it up well, for 8-10 minutes until browned all over.
5. Stir in the tomato purée and porcini and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the strained porcini liquid and let it reduce by half.
6. Add enough milk to almost cover the meat. Drop in the Parmesan rinds, thyme, juniper and bay leaf, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
7. Simmer very gently, partially covered, for about 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and topping up with a little milk if it dries out, until rich and thick. Remove the rinds, thyme stalks and bay leaf.
8. Cook the bucatini in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, toss through the sauce and serve with the grated Parmesan.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 2 h

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data