On Sunday, while I was making the fussy bread, I decided I needed to put something in the crockpot for later in the day. My Beloved had pulled a venison shoulder out of the freezer the day before so I decided to make a ragu with it.
Venison Ragu
Adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros
1 venison shoulder (you could use pork here too)
Olive oil
3 medium onions or 1 1/2 large onions, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
1 1/2 cups white wine
salt
pepper
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes.
Cooked pasta for serving
grated asiago cheese
Brown the onion and garlic in a medium skillet with a bit of olive oil. Put the onion and garlic in the crockpot.
Put the shoulder in the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown both sides. While the meat is browning, mix the tomatoes, bay leaves, cinnamon, worcestershire sauce, paprika, and wine to the crockpot.
Add the shoulder to the crockpot. Cover and let cook for six to eight hours on low. When getting close to serving, cook the pasta and grate the cheese. Remove the shoulder from the pot and remove the meat. Remove the bay and cinnamon stick from the pot. If you wish to make the sauce thicker, blend it a bit. Add the meat back in.
Serve over the pasta with cheese on top.
:)