A classic Italian mushroom ragu, made with a variety of mushrooms, wild or cultivated. Serve this with polenta or pasta.
Italian
Venison Casserole
My take on venison casserole is, more or less, baked ziti, a classic Italian American dish. Ground venison, sausage, pasta, cheese and tomatoes. What’s not to love?
Nettle Risotto
Stinging nettle risotto rocks. It is the essence of “green,” and is super healthy, too. What’s more, blanched nettles will keep their emerald loveliness even after a good 15 minutes of cooking, which makes a nettle risotto visually stunning. The dish itself is pretty simple: Risotto rice, cooked nettles, butter, shallot, garlic, a little pecorino
Garlic Sausage with Basil
There is nothing exotic or unusual about this garlic sausage, except maybe that I am using venison along with the pork. You could use all pork or any combination of similar meats. I like to call this my “A Zone” sausage. It’s a California inside joke, as the state, in its infinite wisdom, makes us
Arugula Pesto with Pasta
When life gives you arugula, you make arugula pesto. A peppery, bracing pesto that matches really well with homemade pasta, fish, shrimp, chicken, pheasant or quail.
Lardo, Italian Cured Pork Fat
Lardo is one cured product you will almost never see done with wild game; I’m not saying it’s impossible, and I’ve done it, but to make really good lardo — which is cured and dried back fat — you need that fat to be at least an inch thick. This used to be rare even on
Salmon Risotto
A simple salmon risotto recipe with herbs and butter that works well with leftover salmon or trout, or scraps from the carcass. You could use canned or smoked salmon or trout.
White Truffle Risotto
White truffle risotto is among the ritzier dishes you can make, but it’s surprisingly easy — once you have your hands on some truffles. This is a classic Italian white truffle risotto that highlights the aroma of white truffles, which is so ephemeral you need to add them only at the last minute. I use