Venison Orecchiette

 

     I am always amused as to the vast varieties of venison recipes that suggest or sometimes require frying, wrapping in bacon, or even marinating just to make it palatable.  The rash of 'gamey comments' are unfortunate and usually due to improper killing, field care, and processing.  No offense to my dear mother, but that is how she made it according to what dad expected.  Throughout my 40+ years of preparing venison I have found it can lend something to any dish you wish to prepare.  Of course it may take some planning and modifications at times.  

      My latest adventure is learning (all over again) how to prepare Axis venison.  This is the leanest of all the meats known, less than 1% saturated fat and as such cooks very quickly and can actually turn tough and chewy if not prepared properly.  The burger meat is usually much more tolerant.  When butchered I mixed it 75-25% with bacon.  It give me a much wider room for cooking options.  

      Italian cuisine utilizes venison burger with traditional ingredients to produce a smooth, tasty finish.  You can use any Ragu sauce you wish, but I use Vodka or Alfredo Sauce due to my wife's sensitive stomach.  It is designed to be made with any small bowl shaped pasta such as Orecchiette or Tortellini.  

 

1 pound ground venison

½ pound ground pork

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large egg

1/4 cup whole milk

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley

2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon chili flakes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 jar Ragu Vodka or Alfredo Sauce

1 pound orecchiette or any small bowl shaped pasta such as tortellini 

½ pound fresh or smoked mozzarella, coarsely grated

¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

 

      In a bowl, mix the ground venison and pork together with the garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, and the chili flakes. Mash vigorously with your hands until smooth, about 3 minutes. Shape the mixture into small balls.

Browning the venison pork meatballs 

      Heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to accommodate the pasta later; add the meatballs, and when they have browned evenly, after about 10 minutes, add the Vodka Sauce. Season with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of pepper.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Simmering the meatballs with Vodka Sauce

      Cook the pasta in 4 quarts of boiling water with the remaining 2 tablespoons of salt until al dente; drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water if needed to dilute the sauce, and fold into the pan with the meatballs. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce, adding some reserved cooking water if needed.

Ready to go in the oven

      Spoon into a large baking dish and layer with Mozzarella and Pecorino Romano Cheese. The Pecorino cheese is the key here adding some salt to the tasty gooey Mozzarella.  

Hot and bubbly out of the oven

      Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until bubbling, and serve hot with garlic baguette.  A nice glass of Pinot Noir is a perfect complement.  Absolutely delicious. 

Plated finis' with garlic bread

"Italian food really reflects the people.  It reflects like a prism that reflects into regions"

Giada de Laurentiis

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