Have I mentioned that we have a lot of venison and javelina? My hubby made certain we had our meat supply for the year this, and for that I’m very aurants thankful. Now to create recipes that utilize the meats! So, over the weekend I opted to try one of my favorite Mediterranean sauces…Bolognese. Bolognese reigns from Bologna, Italy and is a classic meat sauce. No, not a tomato sauce, but a MEAT sauce. Yes, tomatoes are in it, but it’s not the “spaghetti” sauce you’re thinking of that’s so popular in the US. FYI, if you travel to Italy be prepared to have everything you think about Italian food blown away–the food, such as pasta and pizza are completely different than what you find in most “Italian” restaurants across the US.
As all of you know, I have a love of Mediterranean food and developing recipes along 
those lines. With venison in hand I figured a classic Bolognese sauce would fit perfect, and it definitely turned out to be a winning recipe! And yes, they do eat venison in Italy!
Hope you give this a try, and if you don’t have venison you can use beef. See recipe notes for suggestions!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, small diced
- 2 celery stalks, small diced
- 2 medium carrots, small diced
- 5 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pound ground venison
- 1 pound ground pork (We used javelina sausage)
- 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (28-ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 Parmesan rind or ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan
- In a dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Dropping heat, add in and sauté over medium heat onions, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes. Add in garlic and continue to sauté for 1 minute.
- Season vegetables with dried herbs and salt. Add in ground meats and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.
- Add in canned tomato sauce and tomatoes, stir to combine; then add milk, red wine, bay leaves, and Parmesan rind (or ground Parmesan).
- Continue to cook over low heat, slightly covered for 4 hours or transfer to a slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours. Serve over pappardelle or tagiatelle pasta (preferred shape of Bologna, Italy) or spaghetti squash, rigatoni rigate, or raviolis.
This makes enough for 2-3 meals! We froze two quart-sized containers, served it with dinner & had lunches for the next day.
And this recipe is a winner!
Perfect for lunch the next day, too (his & hers portions)…
Just Wendy Jo