Venison Stracotto

Don’t let the name throw you. Stracotto is just a slow cooked Italian style potroast that is packed full of flavor. I like to shred the finished roast into the gravy and serve it over pasta, but it works just as well over rice, potatoes, or even grits or polenta.

Stracotto is a slow cooked Italian style roast that is perfect over pasta, rice or polenta.

The recipe starts on the stove top. First, season the roast all over with salt and pepper.

Season the roast and sear it on both sides until browned.

In a large dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, brown the roast on all sides. Don’t worry about cooking it, just get good color on all the surfaces. Once that is finished, move the roast to a plate and set aside.

I like the vegetables in this one to cool down into a rich, smooth gravy. To make this happen, I first pulse them in the food processor before adding to the pot so they cook down completely. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the processed onion and cook, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the onion softens and starts to caramelize.

Cook the onion down then add the finely chopped carrot and celery.

Add the processed carrots, celery and minced garlic to the pot. Continue cooking for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and red wine. Stir to blend.

Add the stock and tomato paste.

Next, add the beef stock and crushed plum tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a light boil. Return the browned roast to the pot. Wrap the sage and thyme in cheesecloth and tie into a bundle. Add the herb packet to the pot.

Add the tomatoes then return the browned roast to the pot.

Cover the dutch oven and place into a preheated oven at 300 degrees. Cook for 3-4 hours or until the venison is tender and shreds easily. About 1 hour before finishing, add the mushrooms and continue cooking.

Remove the roast from the pot.

Once the mushrooms are done, remove the pot from the oven. Take out the roast and shred the meat, then return it and any juices that came out during the shredding process back to the pot.

Shred the roast after it cools for a few minutes.

Stir well to combine the meat and rich gravy.

Serve over cooked pasta. I used pappardelle, but use whatever flat noodles you prefer, or skip the noodles and serve over rice, potatoes, or polenta.

Serve over pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta.

Garnish with finely chopped parsley and parmesan cheese just before serving.