Pappardelle with Bolognese

My father is an avid hunter and outdoorsman, so there’s always a freezer full of hyper-locally sourced venison at my parents’ house. If you can’t find ground venison, substitute another lean red meat such as buffalo.*

• 1 batch of basic egg pasta, rolled into sheets and cut into 1 inch wide pappardelle 
• 1 Tbs olive oil 
• 2 Tbs butter 
• 1 large yellow onion, minced 
• 3/4 C carrot, shredded 
• 1 stalk celery, minced 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2-1/2 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced 
• 8 leaves of sage, minced 
• 40 juniper berries, ground in grinder or a mortar and pestle** 
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves 
• pinch red pepper flakes 
• 4 oz pancetta, diced tiny*** 
• 2 lb ground venison 
• 3 Tbs tomato paste 
• 3 C fruity red table wine 
• 32 oz tomato passata (or crushed tomatoes) 
• 1 Tbs salt freshly ground pepper 
• 1/4 C flat leaf parsley, minced 
• fresh Pecorino Romano for serving

In a large Dutch oven, heat the butter and oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic, herbs and spices. Saute 5-7 minutes, or until vegetables are getting soft. Stir often. Add the pancetta and cook until it browns, again stirring often. Add the ground venison and cook through.

Add the tomato paste and cook another 5 minutes. Add the wine and stir well. Allow the sauce to reduce until it is almost dry, stirring as necessary to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add salt and pepper. (It may seem salty at first, but let it simmer and it will mellow.) Stirring well, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer the sauce for about 2 hours. Before serving, fold in the parsley and add more salt and pepper if necessary. If the sauce is too thick, it can be loosened with some pasta cooking water.

Cook the pappardelle in boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes or until al dente. Drain well. Ladle the bolognese over the warm pasta and serve with freshly grated Pecorino Romano.

*Ground buffalo can be purchased at Whole Foods and Eckerlin Meats (Findlay Market)
**Available at The Spice & Tea Exchange (Hyde Park)
***Available at Dutch’s Larder (Hyde Park)