Herby venison shank ragù

Portion size: Serves 6
Hands-on time 30 min. Oven time 3 hours 15 min
Difficulty: easy

Freezable

Emily Gussin

Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

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Having a slow-cooked ragù in the freezer makes weeknight dishes a doddle. This one highlights the incredible flavour of venison, eschewing tomatoes in favour of lots of herbs. Great with pasta, but equally good on a bed of polenta or mashed potato.

Keen to eat more venison? Try our epic venison smash burgers next. Or stock up the freezer with our batch cooking inspiration.

Before you start

This recipe is easily doubled – just make sure your pan is large enough to fit 6 shanks. Reduce the liquid in step 3 for a little longer to get a rich ragù consistency.

To make ahead, make up to the end of step 3, remove the bay and any bones, shred the meat, divide into portions, then cool completely. Cover and keep in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost and reheat, adding a splash of water to the pan as you do do.

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Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
3 venison shanks (about 1.2kg – from Ocado or good butchers) or 800g diced venison
1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1 tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
2 celery sticks, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
5 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
10 sage leaves, chopped
200ml dry white wine
1 bay leaf
700ml venison, beef or chicken stock
500g dried pappardelle pasta

For the pangrattato

1 tbsp olive oil
30g panko breadcrumbs
2 rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
10 sage leaves, chopped
20g parmesan, finely grated

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Method

Add the 2 tbsp olive oil to a large casserole or heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Season the venison, then add to the pan (in batches if needed) to brown on all sides (about 10 minutes for shanks or 5 minutes for diced). Transfer to a plate.
Heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. Tip the fennel and caraway seeds into the same dish/pan and cook for 1 minute, then add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook over a low-medium heat for 12-15 minutes until very soft. Stir in the garlic and herbs and cook for another minute. Turn up the heat a little and pour in the wine. Bubble for a few minutes, then add the bay leaf and stock.
Return the venison to the pan, bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 hours until very tender, turning the shanks (if using) halfway. Remove the lid and cook the ragù for another 15 minutes to reduce the liquid a little.
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Meanwhile, for the pangrattato, pour the oil into a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the breadcrumbs and fry, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes, or until golden all over. Stir in the herbs and cook for another few minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.
Remove the bay leaf and any bones from the ragù, then shred the meat into the sauce using 2 forks. Keep warm over a low heat while you cook the pasta.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pappardelle and cook for 8 minutes. Drain, then add to the ragù and toss to combine. Serve with the pangrattato scattered over the top.