Bolognese baked venison
This meatball recipe is a simple, tasty meal, good for home or when out camping. When I process a deer, I separate out the major steak muscles, like the rib fillets and rump. These I vacuum bag for two weeks ageing before eating or freezing for later. In squaring up these large muscles into neat, uniform blocks I keep the trimmed offcuts for mincing. It goes without saying that this is prime mince. There is a myriad of ways to cook such top-grade mince, and meatballs is a favourite.
Here are the basics for whipping up these venison meatballs in Bolognese sauce. The breadcrumbs and egg will deliver a softer-textured meatball. If you prefer your meatballs to be more dense and solid, then omit the breadcrumbs and egg. As always, there are many additional optional ingredients you can include, with a couple of favourites suggested. Don’t be frightened to experiment.
Serves: 2-4 people
Duration: 1 hour
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 500g venison, minced
- 1 medium brown onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- mixed dried herbs, a pinch
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 bottle of Bolognese sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon black olives, diced (optional to taste)
- 1 tablespoon spicey chutney (optional to taste).
Method
- Place all ingredients (except Bolognese sauce) in a large basin.
- Blend and mix well with hands.
- Form into meatballs.
- Place meatballs in a large baking pan.
- Pour Bolognese sauce over patties.
- Bake in oven for 45 minutes at 180C (check at 30 minutes).
*Alternately, for campers, fry meatballs in a large pan and add the heated sauce before serving.
Dish up with fresh garden vegetables of your choice. Pasta is a tasty alternative. Serves 2-4, depending on the amount of veggies or pasta included.
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