1 1/2cupschopped or shredded braised venison(see below for options)
Salt
1tablespoontomato paste
1/2cupred wine
1-2teaspoonsminced fresh sage
1quartvenison or beef stock
1/2cupfinely grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
black pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat the butter or beef tallow in a medium pot over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic and rice and saute another 2 or 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the chopped or shredded braised meat, add a little salt and then the tomato paste. Stir this well to combine and let it cook a minute.
Add the sage and red wine. It will spatter. Stir constantly until the wine cooks almost away, then add 1 cup of the stock. Stir this for about 30 seconds, then drop the heat to medium and let it cook, stirring occasionally.
When the liquid has mostly cooked away, add another cup of stock and stir that for 30 seconds, then let it cook down again, stirring occasionally, Repeat this process until the rice is tender. You will need all four cups, and possibly more if the rice is old. Use water in that case. You want the rice to be tender but not mushy.
Stir in the grated cheese and black pepper, and another tablespoon of butter or fat if you want. Serve at once.
Notes
I prefer to use leftover braised meat for this risotto, but you have options if that's not available to you.
You can cut some clean, tender venison like backstrap or sinew-free hind leg meat into small dice and add this along with the last cup of stock when you are cooking the rice.
You can add 1/2 pound of ground venison in the beginning, with the rice. Cook this until the meat has nicely browned. The end result will be a bit different from this recipe, but still very good.