It goes without saying that the first recipe on this blog ought too be my most "famous" an beloved one: the Game Lasagne!
Here below you will find the recipe as it has been published on the ITV website and on the Food Glorious Food book. It is my intention to post snippets of the various steps and who knows! I might even adventure into video one day!!
I hope you will find the time to try this recipe out: it takes quite a while, although you can save lots of time if you get your butcher to roughly mince the game for you. If you are after a super-quick solution, then just try my ready made game ragus.
The orignal recipe had grouse in it - grouse has a wonderfully strong and peculiar taste, so if you decide to add it, do so in small quantities or it will overtake everything else...happy cooking!
Yara
Makes: 8 individual lasagnes
INGREDIENTS
For the ragu:
600g mixed game (e.g. venison, hare, pigeon,
wild duck), cleaned, trimmed of all fat and sinew and finely diced
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 x garlic cloves, crushed
1 x thyme sprig
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 x onion, finely chopped
2 x carrots, finely chopped
1 x celery stick, finely chopped
150g filed mushrooms, finely sliced
(optional)
2 x dried red bird’s eye chillies (or to
taste), broken in half
125ml red wine
2 x 400g tins peeled plum tomatoes
2 x vegetable stock cubes
1 tsp sugar
For the béchamel:
70g butter
70g white flour
700ml milk
Salt
¼ tsp nutmeg, grated
For the pasta:
420g “00” flour
Pinch salt
4 x eggs
1 tbsp water
Semolina flour, for dusting
2 tbsp vegetable oil
To assemble:
100g Pecorino semistagionato, or crumbly
Swaledale cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper
8 x 200ml ramekins
METHOD
Place the meat in a non-metallic bowl with 1 tbsp
olive oil, a clove of garlic, the thyme and balsamic vinegar and mix well.
Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate overnight.
Put 4 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan with the
onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms (if using), chilli and remaining garlic.
Cover and cook over a low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until
all the contents have softened. Once the vegetables start to stick to the
bottom of the pan, set aside.
Remove the garlic and thyme from the
marinated meat and discard. In another pan, heat the remaining oil over a high
heat, add the meat and cook, covered for 30-60 seconds. At this stage, the game
usually releases water – as soon as this happens, drain the water and juices
away. This will take the “gamey” edge off a little. You may need to repeat this
procedure a few times until the meat is very dry. Season to taste and keep
stirring.
Once the meat starts to stick to the pan, add
the cooked vegetables and wine and stir again. Now add the tomatoes and crumble
in the stock cubes, lower the heat and stir well until the cubes have
dissolved. Cover and leave to simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. At the
end of the process, the sauce should be neither too stiff nor too runny. Add
water or cook for slightly longer, uncovered, to achieve the right consistency.
Meanwhile make the pasta. Sift the flour and
salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs. Slowly mix
the eggs into the flour using your fingertips, until all the flour has been
incorporated. Add a little water if the mixture is too hard, or a little
semolina flour if too soft. On a work surface lightly dusted with semolina
flour (if necessary), knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and
elastic. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave it to rest
in the fridge for 20 minutes.
To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter
in a saucepan over a low heat. Take off the heat and stir in the flour a little
at a time until you have a thick paste. Gradually add the milk, stirring to
incorporate each addition before adding the next. Add a pinch of salt and the
nutmeg, and then place over a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring
constantly. Lower the heat and stir for 5 minutes then set aside to cool,
stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4.
Dust a work surface with semolina flour and
roll out the pasta dough into a sheet about 1mm thick. Using a pastry cutter or
one of your ramekins, stamp out 24 circles of pasta.
Spoon a layer of the game sauce, about 1cm
deep, into each ramekin. Place a disc of pasta over the sauce in each ramekin.
Spoon another layer of game sauce on top, then cover with béchamel. Repeat
these layers (pasta, meat sauce, béchamel) at least twice more, finishing with
plenty of béchamel.
Sprinkle the pecorino on top of the dishes
and place in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese has browned. Leave to
rest for a few minutes before serving… Enjoy!
