A while back, I asked my good friend Jacklyn to share her family recipe for those spicy venison meatballs I longed for. I was utterly intimidated when I read the part of the recipe that said, “Simmer on low for four hours.”…
So it was Saturday afternoon, and I was geared up and pumped up to make these meatballs. Being an authentic Italian, Jacklyn didn’t have an actual sauce recipe to share. Still, she did outline some basic principles: 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, minced garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano. I hooked up with my good friend Google and did a little research on sauces, picking and choosing ingredients that I had on hand.
Four hours later, I now understand the Italian pride involved with food and cooking. What an accomplishment! These spicy venison meatballs are possibly my kids’ favourite meal I’ve ever cooked. And I gotta say, I’m pretty proud of the sauce! But even better than the sauce is the tender and flavourful meatballs!
Now, if you too are intimidated by the four-hour simmer time, don’t be. You just need to be home during that time and remember to stir.
Spicy Venison Meatballs with Homemade Sauce
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground venison (minced venison)
⅓ pound ground pork
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup pecorino romano cheese - shredded, alternatively use Parmesan
1 medium eggs
½ teaspoon parsley
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
1 medium red onion - chopped- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
3 ½ pounds tomato - can of crushed tomatoes
¾ cup tomato paste- ½ cup Marsala wine
⅓ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil- 1 tablespoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- First mix up the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine one pound of ground venison, ⅓ pound of ground pork, ½ cup Italian Bread crumbs, ½ c Romano cheese, 1 clove garlic minced, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, ½ tsp parsley, and 1 egg. Using your hands, mix these ingredients thoroughly. It will be pretty sticky. The recipe called for water as needed to keep it soft. I didn’t add any water to mine, but you should know it’s an option.
- Roll the meat mixture into 1½” balls and keep them on a sheet of wax paper. Set the meatballs aside or in the fridge while you prep the sauce.
- Now let’s start the sauce. Coarsely mince 4 or 5 cloves of garlic
- and 3 or 4 slices of onion. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pot and saute.
- While the onions are caramelising, heat olive oil in a skillet and add half of the meatballs without overcrowding the pan. Lightly brown the meatballs, occasionally turning, while you finish prepping the sauce.
- Once the onions are softened, add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute, just enough to soften the garlic.
- After one minute, pour about ½ c Marsala or another red cooking wine.
- Stir the wine and the sautéed veggies together and simmer for about three minutes.
- Stir in two large cans of crushed tomatoes. Add tomato paste and stir the sauce.
- Add basil, red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley, and pepper. Stir and bring to a low simmer.
- By this point, the first batch of meatballs should be lightly browned.
- You don’t want to thoroughly cook the meatballs, just brown them enough that they’ll easily keep their shape when added to the sauce. Throw the first meatballs into the sauce and brown the next set.
- Repeat this step until all the meatballs are lightly browned and submerged in the sauce.
- Add a lid to the pot and let it simmer over low heat.
- Now comes the easy part. Pour a glass of vino, sit down with your computer, and browse through the web.
- Do this for the next four hours, getting up only to refill your glass and stir the sauce every 15 to 20 minutes.
- In the last twenty minutes, prepare a 16-ounce package of spaghetti according to the package directions, and toast up some garlic bread.
- Serve the Meatballs over a heaping pile of spaghetti, top off your glass of vino, and enjoy the flavours of your labour.
- It will be worth every second!
