Venison and tomato ragù with polenta

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish or heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Season the venison then – in batches if needed – add to the pan to brown on all sides (3-4 minutes). Use tongs to lift onto a plate.
2. Heat the oven to 140°C fan/gas 3. Tip the fennel seeds into the same dish/pan and cook for a minute then add the onion, carrot and fennel with a pinch of salt. Cook over a low-medium heat for 12-15 minutes, until very soft. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute, then add the tomato purée. Cook for a few minutes then increase the heat a little and pour in the wine. Bubble for a few minutes then add the bay leaf, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours 30 minutes until very tender.
3. Remove the lid and cook for another 15 minutes to reduce the liquid a little. Meanwhile, for the polenta, put the milk in a saucepan with 400ml water and a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, pour in the polenta while stirring then cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened and coming away from the sides of the pan. Stir in the butter and parmesan and season.
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5. If you’ve used shanks, pull the bones out of the sauce and shred the meat into it using 2 forks. Serve the ragù on top of the polenta with extra parmesan scattered on top.