Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)

Pasta Dough:

1. 2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
2. 2 Eggs
3. 3 Egg Yolks

Venison Bolognese:

1. 1 lb. of beef chuck (pre-ground okay)
2. 1 lb. of pork belly (or fresh ground pork)
3. 1 lb. of venison (pre-ground okay)
4. 1 yellow onion, finely minced
5. 2 carrots, finely diced
6. 2 stalks of celery, finely diced 
7. 2 28oz. cans of whole peeled tomatoes
8. 6 cloves of garlic, very finely minced
9. 4 juniper berries finely ground
10. 2 bay leaves finely ground
11. 1 cup of red wine
12. 2 cups of whole milk
13. Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Sauté the onions, carrots and celery in a 2-3 tbs of oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat.
2. After about 4-5 minutes, when the onions have started to turn translucent, add the garlic.
3. When the garlic becomes fragrant after about a minute or so, add the ground juniper, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick.  
4. Stir for a minute or so until the cinnamon stick starts to give off its aroma.  
5. Add the ground meat and stir to combine.  
6. Continue stirring for several minutes until the all of the meat loses its pink color.
7. Add the wine and milk and allow to reduce by 1/2 ~ 15-20 mins.
8. Empty the cans of whole peeled tomatoes into a large bowl.
9. Using your hands, squeeze the tomatoes to break them up fairly well.
10. Add the tomatoes to the pot and stir to combine.
11. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer.  At this point you can simmer the ragù on the stovetop for 2 hours, or place, uncovered, in a 325ºF oven for the same amount of time to free up some space.  

Meanwhile make the pasta:

1. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the eggs and egg yolks to the center of the flour.
3. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, start stirring the eggs while gradually adding the flour from the perimeter until it’s all combined. 
4. At this point turn the flour onto a work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until no dry bits remain.  
5. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic.  Let rest for at least 30 minutes, and up to one day in the fridge.   
6. When ready to roll out the pasta, set up your machine to its thickest setting.
7. Divide the dough in half and lightly dust it with flour.  
8. Start with one portion rolling out on the thickest setting and gradually decreasing the thickness to the 3rd thinnest setting.  
9. Once the first portion as been fully rolled out, dust it with flour and roll it up.
10. Repeat the steps with the second portion.  
11. Cut the rolled up portions of dough crosswise into approximately 1/2” wide strips.
12. Unroll the strips and mound into portions for cooking.  Set aside until just ready to cook.

To Cook and Serve:

1. When the sauce is done, season with salt and pepper to taste, then lower the heat.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
3. Cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes, drain and add to a large serving bowl.
4. Add a few ladlefuls of sauce to the serving bowl, and toss the pasta with the sauce until evenly coated.
5. Grate plenty of fresh parmigiano-reggiano over the top.
6. Serve and enjoy.  

Drink Suggestions:  

A good, dry, light to medium-bodied red wine.  I love a Barbera D’Asti along side this slight game flavor from the venison. 

Note: There will be plenty of leftover sauce.  It’ll keep for several days in the fridge, but I also recommend dividing it up into small containers and freezing.  When reheating it’s good to add a few tablespoons of the pasta water to the sauce to loosen it up a little.