Venison shank ragu with tomatoes and rosemary

"As there is not much meat on a venison shank, I tend to save up a bag in my freezer until I have enough to make a dish like this one. This cooks best in an oval-shaped casserole dish as the meat fits in better" says Philippa Davis

Venison-shank ragu with tomatoes and rosemary

With fresh, sweet tomatoes, fragrant rosemary and a generous amount of red wine, this venison ragu makes a truly delightful feast. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1.5kg venison shanks or 800g stewing venison
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
• ½ head of fennel, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 500g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 400ml red wine

To serve

• 400g tagliatelle pasta
• 3 tbsp butter
• 10g basil, roughly chopped
• 10g parsley, finely chopped
• 120g grated cheddar cheese (I am a big fan of Montgomery’s or Westcombe cheddar from Somerset

1. In a deep pan on a medium heat add the rapeseed oil. Season the venison then brown all over.
2. Put in the onion, carrot, fennel, garlic, rosemary, thyme and bay. Season again and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often so the vegetables soften a little, then add the tomatoes. Cook for a few more minutes then add the red wine.
3. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat to low, cover the mixture with a cartouche then pop on the lid. Stirring occasionally, cook for around 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender and falls off the bone.
4. After removing the bone, shred the meat and return it to the sauce in the pan. Stir and check the seasoning.

To serve

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain and stir through the butter and herbs.
2. Stir the venison ragu through the pasta with half the cheese. Pile on to plates, scatter over the rest of the cheese and enjoy.

More venison recipes here

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