Serves 6
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound venison shoulder, cut into ½ inch chunks
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup dark porter beer
2 cups brown chicken stock (see below)
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 recipe poppy seed tagliatelle (see below)
Asiago cheese, for grating
In a 6 to 8 -quart, heavy bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until it is just smoking. Season the venison chunks with salt and pepper and sear the pieces on all sides until browned, turning with long-handled tongs. You may have to work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Remove the browned meat to a plate and set aside.
To the same pan, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook them until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir through and cook until rusty red brown, about 7 minutes. Add the wine, beer, stock and rosemary and bring the mixture to a boil. Return the meat to the pot submerging it in the liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the meat is tender and falling apart, about 1 ½ hours.
With a small ladle, skim the fat from the surface of the sauce and cool until reduced to the consistency of a very thick sauce. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the tagliatelle and cook in the boiling water until tender yet al dente, about 1 minute. Drain well.
Ladle 2 to 3 cups of the ragú into a 12 to 14 inch sauté pan, and stir for 1 minute over high heat. Add the pasta to the sauté pan with ragu. Toss gently over medium heat to coat the pasta with the ragú, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among 6 heated plates and grate Asiago over each bowl. Serve immediately.
Poppy Seed Pasta Dough
3½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
4 extra-large eggs
½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup poppy seeds
Mound 3½ cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs, the olive oil and the poppy seeds. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.
As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape. The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated.
Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly reflour the board and continue kneading for six more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Roll out the pasta dough to the thinnest setting on a pasta machine. Cut the dough crosswise into ¼-inch strips. Place the tagliatelle on a sheet tray that has been dusted with semolina flour, cover with a clean dish towel, and set aside until ready to use.
Brown Chicken Stock
Makes 2 quarts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole capon or chicken, cut in pieces, excess fat removed
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 onions, coarsely chopped
4 celery stalks coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Stems from 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the oil until smoking. Add the chicken or capon pieces and brown all over, stirring to avoid burning. Transfer the browned capon parts to a bowl, then add the carrots, onion and celery to the pan and cook until soft and browned. Return the bird to the pan and add 4 quarts of water, the tomato paste, peppercorns, and parsley, stirring to dislodge the browned meat and vegetable bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring almost to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook at a low simmer for 2 hours, until reduced by half, occasionally skimming off the fat. Strain the stock, pressing the solids with the bottom of a ladle to extract all the liquid. Cool, then refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
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