Venison Stew with Gnocchi

[vengroff]

Venison Stew with Gnocchi

Serves 4 as Main Dish.

I think of this dish as an Italian take on meat and potatoes. It is loosely based on a gnocchi dish that Mario Batali serves at Babbo, which appears in his Babbo Cookbook. However, I'm sure St. Mario would advocate a lower ratio of ragu to gnocchi.

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For the stew

• 2 T olive oil
  
• 130 g panchetta, in 1/4
  
• 100 g carrot, diced
  
• 75 g minced shallot
  
• 100 g diced onion
  
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  
• 500 g venison stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
  
• 500 ml dry red wine
  
• 28 oz canned crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  
• 3 bay leaves
  
• 1 T chopped fresh rosemary
  
• salt and pepper
  

For the gnocchi

• 500 g Russet potato
  
• 120 g all purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 large egg
  
• additional flour for dusting
  
• water and salt for boiling
  

Begin the stew first, and then prepare the gnocchi while it simmers. The whole process will take two to two-and-a-half hours, but most of it is unattended.

Start the stew in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add olive oil, and then fry the panchetta in it until it is crisp and brown and has given up its fat and flavor. Remove the panchetta, but leave the oil behind.

Pat the meat dry and coat generously with ground black pepper and a little salt. Add to the pan and cook until all sides are well seared and brown. Remove the meat.

Add a bit more olive oil to the pan if necessary, then add the carrots. Saute until they just begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add the onions and shallots, saute until they just begin to color.

Stir in 1/4 of the tomatoes, and turn the heat to high. Cook until the moisture has left the tomatoes and the whole thick mass of vegetables begins to carmelize. Stir to carmelize all over, not just on the bottom.

Add the wine, and reduce by about 1/4 to remove the alchohol. Add the venison, panchetta, remaining tomatoes, bay leaves and rosemary and return to a simmer.

Reduce the heat and leave the pot to simmer uncovered. Over the course of the next two hours, the flavors will meld, the meat will soften, and the sauce will reduce and thicken. After an hour, you may wish to skim any excess fat from the surface.

While the stew simmers, prepare the gnocchi. Preheat the oven (or a toaster oven, if you have a decent one and don't want to overheat the kitchen) to 425 F. Poke a few holes in the potato to release moisture, and bake it for 45-50 minutes until the skin is crisp and the center is tender. I prefer baking rather than boiling the potato, because boiling retains too much moisture and can make the gnocchi soggy and dense instead of light and fluffy.

Cut the potato into chunks and remove the skin. The skin should easily seperate from the potato. Put the potato through a potato ricer (ideal) or mash with a fork. Spread the potato out in a thin layer so that it will not get soggy, and allow to cool to room temperature.

Mix the flour and salt with the cooled potato, and make a well in the center. Add the egg to the well and work it into the flour and potato to form a dough that holds together in a ball but is not sticky.

Divide the dough into quarters, and put on a floured work surface. With floured hands, roll each piece of dough into a long rope about 3/4" in diameter. With a sharp knife, cut the rope into bite-sized portions. I like to pinch the rope between my fingers as I cut, so that each gnoccho has a dimple to hold sauce on each side. If you prefer ridged gnocchi, you can roll them on the tines of a fork or a gnocchi roller.

If the ragu is not ready yet, lay the floured gnocchi in a single layer on a baking sheet and refrigerate. When the ragu is thick and the meat is tender, add salt and pepper to taste.

To cook the gnocchi, bring 8 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add salt to taste (a couple of tablespoons) and then add the gnocchi. When the gnocchi rise to the surface, they are ready. Remove the floating gnocchi with a spider and add to the stew pot. Once all the gnocchi are ready and have been transferred, gently fold them into the stew. Turn the mixture out into a serving bowl, and bring it to the table to the delight of your guests.

Serve with a bold Italian red.

Keywords: Game, Potatoes, Pasta, Intermediate, Main Dish, Italian

( RG224 )