Bambi didn’t die in vain

Saw this and reminded me of a lush recipe for venison.  It’s a ragu to serve with pasta, but I split the batch and served half with creamy parmesan mash and green veg. Serves 4.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in an oven proof casserole and add 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick and a clove of garlic all finely sliced. Cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Toss 500g boned venison shoulder or leg (diced) in 2 tbsp seasoned flour. Add another tbsp oil to the pot and brown the meat in batches. Set the meat aside with the veg.

Deglaze the pan with 100ml red wine then return the veg and meat to the pot with 200ml stock or water, 2 anchovy fillets, 1 tbsp tomato puree and 2 fresh sage leaves (or 1 bay leaf). Bring to the boil then cover and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 – hours at 160c/ Gas 3, stirring once or twice during cooking. The meat should shred easily with a fork but, if serving with the mashed potatoes, don’t break up the meat too much.