Venison Ragu in Roasted Pattypans

Serves 4 preparation time 25 minutes cooking time approx 2 ½ hours

2 onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

olive oil

3 bay leaves

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 sprig of thyme

½ tsp ground allspice

500g venison (leg or shoulder) cut into 3cm cubes

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

400ml full bodied red wine

2 tbsp sundried tomato puree

4 large patty pan squash or baby pumpkins

Salt and pepper

Equipment: heavy based casserole pan, roasting tray

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/375F/190C.  Place the onion and garlic in the casserole pan with one tablespoon of olive oil and simmer over a gentle heat until the onions are soft and start to caramelise.  Season with salt and pepper and add the star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves and thyme to the pan and cook for a few minutes further.  Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.  Add the venison to the pan with a little more oil and cook for a few minutes until the meat has browned all over.   Return the spiced onions to the pan with the meat, add the chopped tomatoes, wine, puree and 200ml of water.  Stir and heat until the liquid in the pan is hot, then transfer to the oven and cook for 40 minutes then turn the temperature down to Gas Mark 2/300F/150C and slow cook for a further 2 hours until the meat is tender.

For the squash, using a sharp knife cut off the top of the squash, keeping the stalk intact.  Hollow out the squash using a spoon.  Place the squash and lids in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven  with the casserole at Gas Mark 5/375F/190C for about 30 minutes until the flesh is soft but the squash still hold their shape (I do this during the initial cooking of the ragu and then reheat just before serving once the ragu is cooked).   To serve,  fill the squash with the venison ragu and top with their lids.