Venison Marinara Sauce

By Chef Mary Allison Smith

For the venison which will later be added to the sauce, you will of course require one pound of ground venison, which I personally source from my family members who hunt, however I have spotted ground venison at Natural Grocers. Of course, a local butcher shop can help you find what you are looking for as well. You will also need salt and black pepper reserved on the side, to season throughout the cooking process as well as one teaspoon of dried oregano, the juice of one lemon, and two tablespoons of unsalted butter to begin your cooking process with. It is important to utilize unsalted butter as salted butter would greatly affect the salt content and overall finished product of your dish. 

To begin, drain any blood from the venison and pat the meat dry thoroughly. Then, season with salt, pepper, dried oregano, and lemon juice. Lastly, In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the venison and cook until lightly browned, but not fully cooked through, to avoid overcooking later. Set aside.

For the Sauce, depending on how large the tomatoes you purchase for this recipe are and how much sauce you would prefer to yield, you will need eight to twelve ripe Roma or San Marzano tomatoes. Dice half of the tomatoes finely by hand and hand-crush the remaining half. Reserve all juices and set aside. Next, focus on preparing everything which you will be adding to your sauce prior to cooking your sauce as this practice will set you up for success. 

To begin your sauce, you will heat olive oil in a large pan, cast iron, or dutch oven depending on preference and how many people you intend to serve. Then, add two finely diced yellow onions along with ten finely minced garlic cloves. A simple trick I enjoy expediting the process of hand-mincing garlic is to peel my garlic, wrap it in cling wrap, and crush it forcefully with a Chef’s knife. From there, it is quite quick to achieve the mince you are looking for. Once your onions and garlic are translucent and fragrant, add two tablespoons of tomato paste. I prefer the kind that comes in a tube as it is preserved with salt and citric acid to provide better flavor. The tomato paste will also help caramelize your aromatics such as the onions and garlic. Once you have added your tomato paste and allowed it time to marry with the base of the sauce, add the diced and crushed tomatoes which you set aside earlier in the process along with salt and pepper to taste and two tablespoons of lemon juice. Optional, yet highly suggested addition(s) to the sauce at this point would include red pepper flakes, a splash of red wine, and/or the addition of a bay leaf to be removed after the simmering process. Allow the sauce to simmer on low heat for thirty minutes while occasionally stirring. When this step has been completed, you may now freshly grate your parmesan cheese as well as sprinkle some chiffonade basil into your sauce. After five to ten minutes, add your prepared ground venison to the sauce and serve over pasta of choice. Don’t forget to taste your sauce before serving and adjust it if need be. Most importantly, enjoy, and let me know.

Suggested red wine pairings to serve alongside the dish and incorporate into the dish are as follows: Chianti Classico or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.