This venison ragoût is really rich in flavour and is a proper bowl of comfort for the cooler months.
The dish is cooked with smoked bacon and vegetables for a tasty base to the sauce and then simmered in red wine and tomatoes.
It's really easy to make and makes a delicious change from a normal bolognese style dish.
Bon appétit!
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❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Posh enough for entertaining or a weeknight treat
- One pot dinner
- Lower fat than beef mince
- Easy to make
My family loves venison and venison mince is now much more available in supermarkets and online, so it's much more accessible to make this venison ragoût, (ragu in Italian).
It has a rich flavour and is naturally much lower in fat than other mince such as beef too.
Smoked bacon and a mirepoix of onion, celery and carrot form the base for the sauce, along with red wine and chopped tomatoes.
The secret of the sauce is that it's simmered until the sauce has reduced and the flavours have had time to develop, but the effort to make it is not much different to a bolognese and it still freezes beautifully if you want to make ahead.
Although this is known as an Italian dish, this way of cooking originates in France and the French love pasta how the British love their curries!
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🥘 Ingredients
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Some notes on some of the ingredients.
- Red wine - use something that you would normally drink with the meal. If you prefer to avoid alcohol just replace the amount with extra beef stock.
- Bouquet garni - you can buy a mix of herbs from most supermarkets in little sachets or you can yie a mixture of fresh herbs together in a muslin cloth.
- Beef stock cube - due to the wine and tomatoes, there is already enough liquid, so the stock cube dissolved in a small amount of water enhances the richness of the dish.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- Large lidded frying pan/or cast iron skillet with lid
- Sharp knife
- Measuring jug
🔪 Instructions
Peel and chop the vegetables into fairly small dice.
Crush the garlic with the side of the knife and mince finely.
Put the lardons in the pan over a medium heat and stir occasionally for about 4 minutes until the fat begins to melt down.
Add the chopped carrots, celery and onion and cook for about 4 minutes until softened.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
Dissolve the stock cube in 100l of boiling water.
Add the oil to the pan over a medium high heat and add the venison mince, using a spoon to break it up and brown all over.
Stir in the tomato paste, red wine and balsamic vinegar and continue to heat until the liquid reduces by half.
Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, pepper, bouquet garni and juniper berries to the pan along with the lardon and vegetables mix.
Reduce the heat until the mixture comes to a simmer.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Place the lid on the pan and simmer for 2 hours.
Alternatively, cook in the slow cooker for 2-3 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
You can also cook this dish in the oven at 150 C / 300 F / 130 FAN / Gas 2.
Check the seasoning and serve over pasta.
Remember to remove the bouquet garni before serving!
🥙 Substitutions
- Venison - use beef mince
- Bacon lardons - any smoked bacon cut into pieces will work.
- Red wine - replace with an equao amount of stock or add a couple of tablespoons of balsamic or red wine vinegar.
- Bouquet garni - add a teaspoon of dried mixed or Italian herbs.
📖 Variations
- Mince -use any mince you prefer or use diced venison
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and keep for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - cool and pack into airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat - in a covered saucepan over a low heat or in a low oven until hot.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Slow cooked dishes like this venison ragoût actually benefit from being made a day or so before, as the flavours have time to develop. You colud also prepare all the veg in advance if you wanted to eat it the same day.
🤔FAQs
A ragoût is a slow cooked stew, however bolognese is very specific to the Italian region and typically has less tomato and sometimes milk added for extra creaminess.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More venison dishes
- Venison Steak with Redcurrant Sauce
- Slow Cooker Venison Shanks
- Slow Cooker Venison Stew
- Roast Venison Haunch
- Pheasant and Venison Casserole
- Venison Bourguignon
- Venison Mince Sausage Plait
- Venison Burgers
📋 Recipe
Venison Ragoût
Equipment
- large frying pan with lid I used a cast iron shallow pan
- sharp knife
- Measuring jug
Ingredients
- 500 g venison mince
- 100 g bacon lardons smoked
- 1 onion medium
- 1 carrot medium
- 1 stick celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 250 ml red wine dry
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 beef stock cube
- 100 ml boiling water
- 400 g chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 juniper berries
- 1 bouquet garni
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
Instructions
- Peel and chop the vegetables into fairly small dice.
- Crush the garlic with the side of the knife and mince finely.
- Put the lardons in the pan over a medium heat and stir occasionally for about 4 minutes until the fat begins to melt down.
- Add the chopped carrots, celery and onion and cook for about 4 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
- Dissolve the stock cube in 100l of boiling water.
- Add the oil to the pan over a medium high heat and add the venison mince, using a spoon to break it up and brown all over.
- Stir in the tomato paste, red wine and balsamic vinegar and continue to heat until the liquid reduces by half.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, pepper, bouquet garni and juniper berries to the pan along with the lardon and vegetables mix.
- Reduce the heat until the mixture comes to a simmer.
- Place the lid on the pan and simmer for 2 hours.
- Check the seasoning and serve over pasta.
- Remember to remove the bouquet garni.
Notes
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Beef, Lamb and Venison
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- Venison Bourguignon2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Côte de Boeuf or Bone in Ribeye Steak30 Minutes
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
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Amanda
So rich and easy to do!