Ragout (Ragu') is a meat sauce that is slowly simmered producing extremely tender cuts of meat. The practice of mixing sweet and savory flavors together was more the norm during the 16th and 17th centuries. The combination of flavors helped to compensate for the gamy taste most meat had due to lack of proper refrigeration. For today's cook, modern refrigeration has eliminated this dilemma. However the mixture of sweet and savory flavors is a pleasant break from everyday seasoning mixes.

Serves 4

1 pound venison steak cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pound Kielbasa sausage cut into bite sized pieces olive oil
2 tbs. flour
1 tbs. brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine
4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup chopped shallots
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tbs. fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tsp.dried thyme
3 tbs.tomato paste
1/2 tsp. course ground black pepper
salt to taste
3/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 fresh-snipped parsley


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the bottom of a heavy, ovenproof kettle with nonstick cooking spray. Heat kettle on medium high burner and brown sausage. Remove when done. Brown the venison in batches in the sausage drippings, adding a small amount of vegetable oil if needed. Add the sausage back into the kettle. Sprinkle the flour and brown sugar over the meat and mix until well coated. Add the wine, broth, shallots, garlic, rosemary, thyme, tomato paste, and black pepper. Stir ingredients well and bring to a boil. Cover the kettle with a tight fitting lid, and place in oven. Bake for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, checking half way through to see if you need to add more liquid. Remove the kettle from the oven and season with desired amount of salt. Stir in the olives, raisins, and parsley. Keep warm on top of stove. Bring a large kettle of water to boil on the stove. Cook enough spaghetti or fettuccini for four people (approximately 3 ounces dried per person). Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse well with hot water. Plate the pasta onto dinner plates and top with the Ragout.

Cooking Hint: When browning cubes of meat only add a few pieces of meat at a time while removing those that are brown. If you place all of the meat into the skillet or kettle at one time the pan will cool off too much causing the moisture from the meat to seep out.

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