Venison Bolognese

Sorry for the long hiatus in posting.  Between taking the bar and starting my job, it's been tough to find the time to write up a recipe.  Not to mention the fact that I've been throwing meals together more than making new and interesting things.  Tonight I finally found the time to both cook something and write this up.  :)

I got a new shipment of venison from my parents last weekend when my sister visited.  It's such a tasty meat.  I love having it to use.  Since I grew up with venison, I use it basically anywhere I would use beef.  And this result was delicious.

While it might not be the most traditional bolognese, it was really tasty.  This sauce came together really quickly too.  The only problem I had with this sauce is that I used too small of a pan.  I ended up spilling some of the sauce when I tried to stir it.  Oops.

I served this with whole wheat spaghetti.  Any pasta would do.  I also grated a little asiago cheese on top to finish it.

Number of seconds Jeremy went back to the kitchen for: 2. (That should say something in itself.)

Recipe:
1 1/3 lbs. ground venison
2 medium carrots, grated
1 spanish onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz. can tomato puree
1/2 tsp. salt (plus more to taste)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (freshly grated)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 dried bay leaf
3/4 c. skim milk
2 tbs. olive oil

1. Heat a large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add olive oil.  Add venison, carrots, onion, celery, and garlic.  Add the salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook, stirring frequently until the meat is brown and the onions are translucent (5-7 minutes).
2. Add the tomatoes (diced and puree), milk, nutmeg, thyme, and bay leaf.  Simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes.  (While the sauce is simmering, bring water to a boil and cook your pasta.)
3. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce.  Toss some of the sauce with pasta.  Serve with a little extra sauce spooned on top and some grated cheese.