Venison Meatballs and Sauce

This is a great way to use up some of the ground venison or moose burger that seems to stay in the freezer a little longer than it probably should. And, besides… everyone loves spagetti and meatballs. Or, rigatoni and meatballs… or, penne and meatballs… or… or…

These babies freeze well, so don’t be afraid to double up on the recipes below and make a big batch of ‘em. (Texan for “them.”) The recipe below will make about a dozen big balls (stop your gutter thinking right now), but if you like your balls a little smaller, well, then I guess, Einstein, you’d have more than a dozen, right? Holy shit…

Ingredients for the Meatballs

1 pound of ground venison or moose burger
1/4 pound of ground pork (optional but I think you’ll love it)
1/2 cup small dice white or yellow onion
1 tbsp dry basil
1 tbsp dry oregano
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (moisten with milk to make the meatballs really moist)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp coarse cracked pepper

Mix all ingredients in large bowl, then mould into big balls. Or, little balls. Which ever type turns you on the most. Brown them on medium high heat on the stove top. You’ll need a little oil because venison is quite dry as compared to store bought ground beef. Finish them in the oven at 350 F for about 10 – 15 minutes. Check them to make sure they cooked through. A cast iron pan works great for this!

Tomato Sauce

1 – 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
Or use the same amount of plumb tomatoes, peeled and mashed. To peel, remove stem and cut an “X” in the bottom end. Submerge in boiling water for 45 seconds. Peels should come right off starting at the X you cut. Use a paring knife.
1 – 5 1/2 ounce can of tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp dry basil
1 tbsp dry oregano
1 tbsp sugar
3 cloves of minced garlic
A dash of hot sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook on medium low heat for about 20 minutes or so.

Serve with your favourite pasta. Garnish with fresh basil if you have any.

Pound ‘er down!