16-01-2022
This delicious hearty dish is perfect for these cold winter nights. If you're short on time, you can replace the Venison mince with pre-made Venison meatballs.
Ingredients
- 300g Venison Mince
- Salt & Cracked Black Pepper
- 1 Onion
- 1 Carrot
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
- Dried Paprika
- 60g Orzo Pasta
- 1 Can Butter Beans, Drained
- 1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
- 500ml of Beef Stock
- Half Bunch Parsley, Chopped
- 40g Basil
- 25g Pine Nuts
- 25g Parmesan Cheese (Grated)
- 125ml Olive Oil
- 1 Piece Ciabatta
- 25g Butter (Softened)
Method
Orzo Pasta Minestrone- Peel and dice the onion and carrot, grate 1 garlic clove
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a suitable sized pan, then add the onion, carrot and grated garlic to sweat gently for 5-10 minutes
- Add the tomato puree and a pinch of dried paprika, and cook out for 5 minutes
- Add the chopped tomatoes and beef stock, bring to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes
- Add the orzo pasta, bring pan contents to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes
- Add the butter beans, season to taste and stir through the chopped parsley
Venison Meatballs- Pre-heat oven to 180oC (Fan)
- Season the Venison mince well with salt and cracked black pepper
- Weigh 50g portions and form into 6 large meatballs
- Seal meatballs in a hot pan with 1 tbsp of oil, then transfer to a suitably sized ovenable tray
- Cook in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes until the juices run clear
Basil Pesto- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until golden brown
- Add the basil, 1 peeled garlic clove, parmesan cheese, salt, cracked black pepper, cooled toasted pine nuts and the olive oil to a blender
- Blend on pulse setting until it all comes together, add a little more olive oil if required. Don't over blend the pesto, it's good to keep a little bit of the texture
Ciabatta Croutons- Pre-heat oven to 180oC (Fan)
- Tear the ciabatta in to chunks
- Grate the remaining garlic clove and mix with the olive oil, butter and season with salt and black pepper
- Coat the ciabatta pieces in the garlic butter before placing on an ovenable tray
- Cook in the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes until crunchy and golden
Enjoy!