Wild Venison & mushroom Lasagne - to serve 10
Thanks to Bill Sewell - Bill’s Kitchen for providing this recipe.
Download a printable version here
For the Venison & Mushroom filling
250g smoked bacon diced
400g onions peeled & diced ( 1cm)
2 cloves garlic crushed or finely chopped
1kg minced venison
500g mushrooms diced (2cm)
3 x 400g tinned tomatoes (blended)
50g dried ceps or dried mixed wild mushrooms
100ml warm water
Few sprigs of thyme
For the cheese sauce
100g Butter – roughly chopped
100g Plain flour
1 litre milk
2 bay leaves
125g Cheddar grated
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
To assemble
75g Parmesan grated
125g breadcrumbs
500g lasagne sheets
To make the Venison and Mushroom mix
1. Finely chop the garlic and cook in a very large pan with the olive oil, onions & smoked bacon until the onions are soft.
2. Brown the minced venison in batches add to the onions and cook on a low heat with the lid on for about half an hour. Deglaze the pan from browning the mince with red wine and add to the pot.
3. Add the mushrooms and finely chopped thyme and cook until the mushrooms have softened a little, then add the blended, tinned tomatoes. Take the soaked ceps out of their soaking liquor and chop them finely then add them to the pan together with their soaking liquor. Simmer for a further half hour to an hour until the correct consistency has been reached. Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper.
To make cheese sauce
1. To make the sauce – pour the milk into a pan with the bay leaves and bring just to boiling point. In another, large, pan heat the butter in a large pan until it begins to foam, then tip in the flour and mix it well into the butter.
2. When the mixture, the roux, begins to bubble and become paler in colour begin adding the hot milk straining it through a sieve. To avoid lumps, you need to add the milk a little at a time - aim for about a tenth of the total quantity each time. After each addition of milk bring the sauce back to the boil, then simmer and stir until thick and lump-free. When you have added all the milk, bring the sauce to the boil and then immediately take off the heat, stir in the grated Cheddar and nutmeg then salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
To assemble and bake
1. Mix the grated Cheddar and breadcrumbs together, adding a little salt and freshly ground black pepper to season. Then layer all the separate parts of the lasagne into baking dish. (Bake at 400F / 200C until bubbling and golden brown.
Order of Assembly
1. Venison filling
2. Lasagne sheets
3. cheese sauce
4. Lasagne sheets
5. Venison filling
6. Lasagne sheets
7. Cheese sauce
8. Cheese and breadcrumb topping
Enjoy!
Courtesy of Bill Sewell, photograph by Jay Watson