Venison and Mediterranean Vegetables Tagliatelle Pasta

 

Venison loin with tagliatelle pasta

Venison may not be the first meat we would think of to serve with pasta but, as this recipe will hopefully show, it works incredibly well if incorporated in the right fashion. The slow cooked meat becomes deliciously tender and serves as the perfect accompaniment to the al dente pasta and assorted fruit and vegetable selections.

Coarsely diced loin of venison

Cook Time

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 2 hours

Ready in: 2 hours 30 min

Yields: 1 serving

Venison pasta sundry ingredients

Ingredients

• 6 ounces (150g) venison loin, diced to 1 inch (2.5cm) chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 pint (568ml) beef stock
• Nest of dried tagliatelle pasta (approximately 4 ounces/100g)
• 8 pitted black olives, halved down through core
• 4 sun dried tomato (jarred in olive oil) pieces, roughly chopped
• 2 medium chestnut mushrooms, wiped and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced or chopped
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley

Browning venison in olive oil

Method

Pour the olive oil in to a medium saucepan and gently heat. Season the venison with salt and pepper and add to the warmed oil. Turn the heat up and stir with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes until the meat is browned all over.

Venison is simmered in beef stock

Pour the beef stock in to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer as gently as possible for up to 2 hours until just tender. Check it frequently for liquid level and add a little more if necessary.

When the venison is done, lift from the stock with a slotted spoon to a separate plate, cover and allow to rest. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add the tagliatelle. Cook on a medium simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until cooked.

Prepared olives, tomatoes and mushrooms

Prepare the olives, tomatoes and mushrooms while the pasta is cooking.

Olives, tomatoes and mushrooms are gently sauteed

Drain the tagliatelle through a colander at your sink. Pour a little olive oil into the emptied pot and gently heat before adding the mushrooms, tomatoes and olives. Saute for a minute or two over  a medium heat, just to warm though and slightly soften the mushrooms.

Tagliatelle and venison are added to sauteed vegetables

Add the tagliatelle and the venison to the pot and very carefully stir fold for a couple of minutes to evenly combine and coat in oil.

Parsley is added to venison tagliatelle

Add the parsley to the pot, give a final, careful stir fold and plate for service.