Rotini w/ Venison

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

[pics at bottom of post]
Not reinventing the wheel here but I had a bunch of garden-fresh ingredients and that’s what really makes this dinner shine.

Ingredients (meat portion):

• 4 lbs ground venison
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Salt & Pepper
• Lemon Powder
• Chili Powder
• Onion Powder
• Fresh Sage
• Fresh Thyme

Ingredients (tomato sauce, makes large pot):

• 24+ Fresh Roma & San Marzano Tomatoes (or any plum-style tomato)
• Whole Onion (I used Vidalia but any color/variety will work)
• Olive Oil
• 2 Small Cans of Tomato Paste
• Salt & Pepper
• Sugar and/or Honey
• Garlic (optional)
• White Wine (Carlo Rossi Chardonnay is hard to beat for this sauce)
• Fresh Basil
• 4-5 Tbsp cooked pasta water (optional, added after sauce has cooked down and food is almost ready to serve)

Ingredients (pasta & garnish):

• 2 lbs Barilla-brand Rotini
• Cayenne or other hot chili pepper (I used a Dragon Cayenne, hybrid of Thai Chili and Long Cayenne)
• Parmesan or Romano Cheese
• Peas (yeah they’re frozen, my garden peas barely make it into the house before they’re scarfed raw lol)

Process (sauce, can be done well in advance and stored in freezer):

1. Slice tomatoes into thirds and purée. I leave skins and seeds in. Skins are minute and actually provide some thickening properties to the finished product, in addition to releasing a lot of tomato flavor. Seeds are just a pain in the ass and plum tomatoes don’t have that many so they are negligible. If it bothers you that much, go ahead and peel/seed the tomatoes.
2. Turn a large sauce pot up to medium heat, and once it has reached temperature add olive oil, onions, and garlic if you are using it.
3. Let onions cook for a minute or two, then add tomato paste to the oil and onions. Cook until onions become translucent and paste is evenly distributed. If the paste starts to turn brown or black remove from the heat and add a little more oil. Turn heat down and put pot back on.
4. Add tomato purée, salt, and pepper. Combine everything really well and let cook for at least an hour, stirring occasionally to make sure the stuff on the bottom gets incorporated and seasonings can even out.
5. After 30-40 minutes, add sugar/honey. I like a relatively sweet sauce but start lighter and add little by little until sauce reaches desired sweetness (let it cook in for a few minutes between tasting and adjusting. Sweetness will increase as sauce reduces and flavors settle in). Add a cup of wine (or more if you’re so inclined).
6. When the smell and taste of raw tomatoes has kinda subsided (you’ll notice a slight foaminess when making sauce with fresh tomatoes until they’ve reduced), make any final adjustments to salt, pepper, sugar, wine, and turn the heat down to a simmer. Add generous helping of fresh basil. Cover the pot and stir once in a while until ready to serve. Pot can be left covered on the stove all day or overnight if it is hot enough, and reheated or stored in freezer later.
7. For thicker sauce, add more paste (any time) and/or cook at medium for longer, and stir more frequently to encourage water evaporation.
8. BONUS POINTS: right before draining pasta, add a few tablespoons of pasta water to sauce and cook in for about 5-10 minutes. Serve asap.

Process (meat portion):

1. As soon as meat is defrosted, season liberally with salt, pepper, lemon powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Set in fridge until you’re ready to cook (up to a couple of days) to let seasoning penetrate.
2. Turn empty skillet up to med-high (I like nonstick for cleanup’s sake but stainless steel or cast iron adds a little more depth of flavor through caramelization). When the skillet reaches desired temp, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and 2-3 tablespoons of butter.
3. Once butter and oil have homogenized at least halfway, add meat to the skillet.
4. Cook until meat is medium (almost no red left) then turn the skillet way down and add a generous branch of fresh sage and a few large sprigs of thyme. Cover with lid or foil and stir every 5-10 minutes while heat is low or off, until ready to serve.
5. BONUS POINTS: use this same recipe for other applications, i.e. tacos, mashed taters, shepherd’s/pot pies, add to dips, OR add to the tomato sauce listed above (before actual tomato purée is added) to turn the simple tomato sauce into a hunter’s ragu!

Pasta (just a couple of tips you may or may not have heard before, from a full-blooded Italian):

• I like Barilla or De Cecco if you can find those brands. Don’t pinch pennies on dried pasta. Even if you don’t notice them right away, there are some very nuanced but important differences between a premium dried pasta brand and average store brand. Texture is the most obvious and necessary for any recipe that requires sauce or broth; premium pasta just doesn’t break up nearly as quickly, and that’s a big deal.
• Kinda related, but always cut the suggested cooking time down by a minute or two from what’s listed on the box. If it says 7-8 minutes like this rotini, boil for 5.5-6 minutes and shut the heat off. Then taste a piece or two, and if there’s a little chew left, you’re good to strain it. If it’s still “hard” and getting stuck in your teeth, DO NOT turn the heat back on. Just let it set in the hot-ass water for another 30-60 seconds and try another piece. And keep in mind, even drained pasta will rollover-cook in its own steam so every second past suggested cooking time can cost you texture points.
• Use way more salt (and water) in the pot than you think is sane. Every Italian mother thinks she invented the phrase “pasta water should taste like the ocean”.
• I use a tablespoon of butter per pound of pasta once drained, to keep from sticking and helps sauce adhere as well. Olive oil can also be used but NEVER add oil to the cooking water.

Plating:

1. (I like a bowl for this. A large, shallow pasta bowl is best but I only had a cereal bowl on-hand so that’s what I used) Scoop of pasta.
2. Ladle of tomato sauce.
3. Scoop of venison.
4. Half-ladle of sauce.
5. Cheese (if desired).
6. Peas.
7. Use scissors to snip cayenne slivers over top.
8. Fresh basil leaves (if desired).

This is one of my wife’s favorite venison preparations. If you grow plum tomatoes you know them thangs can really produce, so don’t be bashful in how many you use. Fill the pot with as many as you can.