This delicious pasta sauce is made with ground Dutch Venison from het ‘Zeeuwse Hert’. This energy-neutral farm keeps about 80 red deers and is located in the South-West of the Netherlands. This province, called Zeeland, is known for its seafood and beaches, so it was very nice to see another part of Zeeland!
They don’t just take good care of the animals, but also make sure that they operate as sustainable as possible. They have solar panels for electricity and a wood stove to keep the buildings on the yard warm.
Since I love the combination of Venison and Juniper berries, I added some Dutch Jenever to the sauce! However, you can also add actual juniper berries. Just make sure to remove those before serving 😉
Pasta with Venison, Shiitakes, Rosemary & Dutch ‘Jenever’
Equipment
- Cooking Pot
- Frying Pan
- Knife
- Chopping Board
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 Shallot
- 1 Carrot
- 100 gram Shiitake Mushrooms ¾ cup
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 1 spring Rosemary
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 250 gram Ground Venison or ½ pound
- 1 can Peeled Tomatoes 400grams or 2⅕ cup
- 250 ml Game Broth 1 cup; or another stock
- 1 shot Dutch Jenever or a few juniper berries
Serve with..
- 140 gram Dried Pasta 1½ cup
- Basil
Instructions
Preparations
- Remove the outer layer from the shallot and clove of garlic. Chop the garlic in slices and the shallot in even cubes. Then remove the top of the carrot and cut it in even cubes. Clean the mushrooms with a brush and chop these in slices.
- Add plenty of water to a cooking pot (with a generous amount of salt) and bring it to a boil.
Cooking
- Pour the olive oil into the frying pan. Add the garlic, shallot and carrots and cook these until the shallot is glossy.
- Then add the shiitake mushrooms, ground venison, rosemary, bay leaf and tomato puree. When the venison is brown, you can add the peeled tomatoes and the broth. *If you want to add juniper berries, you can also add those in this step
- After 25 minutes of cooking, pour in the Dutch Jenever. Let the alcohol dissolve by letting the sauce cook for another 5 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente in the boiling salted water.
Serve..
- Serve the pasta with the sauce, fresh basil and a shot of Dutch Jenever.