Yesterday, winter finally came back after a mild spell.  With the colder weather and with some friends coming over for dinner, I felt like cooking something hearty.

Unfortunately, my game meat supply is running pretty low.  I discovered, however, that I still had some ground goose meat leftover from sausage making in the fall.  For the sausages, I had ground the goose together about 60/40 with some Ontario pork shoulder to add fat content.  I decided it would be perfect for bolognese.

Decision made, I walked down to Roast, my local butcher here in Toronto, to pick up some grass-fed ground beef. Because I have resolved to eat less meat and no longer buy it from large grocery stores, I am perfectly willing to pay the extra money on occasion for the higher quality product that is ethically raised and sourced.

The recipe below is inspired by J.Kenji Lopez-Alt’s bolognese recipe from the excellent serious eats website.

The sauce turned out beautifully – rich, savoury and hearty.  I served it over homemade fettucine noodles and paired it with a bottle of Barbera D’Asti that I found on sale at the LCBO.

If I had more ground goose, I would have used more of it and reduced the beef proportionally. Hope you enjoy, it takes some time, but is worth it.

Print Recipe

Canada Goose Bolognese Recipe

A rich, hearty meal that helps extend your goose meat into the winter if you're running low. Takes a bit for time, but is worth it.

Course

Main Dish

Prep Time

40 min

Cook Time

2 hrs

Servings

People

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 Lb Ground Goose I used 1 lb 60/40 goose and pork
• 1.5 Lb Ground Beef Grass Fed

Vegetables

• 1 Large White Onion Finely Chopped
• 2 Carrots Grated
• 3 Ribs Celery Finely Chopped
• 5 Cloves garlic Minced
• 1/2 Cup Italian Parsley (fresh) Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Sage (fresh) Chopped

Wet Ingredients

• 1 Cup Dry Red Wine E.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 3/4 Cup Chicken Stock Best if you use homemade, otherwise use low sodium
• 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• 4 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce Lea & Perrins or bust.
• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 28 oz can Whole tomatoes Use the best quality you can get

Seasoning

• 1 Tbsp Dry Basil
• 2 Tbsp Dry Oregano
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper To Taste
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 Pinch Nutmeg
• 1 Cup Fresh Parmesan Grated

Course Main Dish Prep Time 40 min Cook Time 2 hrs Servings People Ingredients Meat 1 Lb Ground Goose I used 1 lb 60/40 goose and pork 1.5 Lb Ground Beef Grass Fed Vegetables 1 Large White Onion Finely Chopped 2 Carrots Grated 3 Ribs Celery Finely Chopped 5 Cloves garlic Minced 1/2 Cup Italian Parsley (fresh) Chopped 1/4 Cup Sage (fresh) Chopped Wet Ingredients 1 Cup Dry Red Wine E.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec 1/2 Cup Milk 3/4 Cup Chicken Stock Best if you use homemade, otherwise use low sodium 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream 4 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce Lea & Perrins or bust. 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 28 oz can Whole tomatoes Use the best quality you can get Seasoning 1 Tbsp Dry Basil 2 Tbsp Dry Oregano 2 Bay Leaves Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper To Taste 1 Tbsp Paprika 1 Pinch Nutmeg 1 Cup Fresh Parmesan Grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Finely chop all of your vegetables and fresh herbs, reserving half of the parsley to add to the finished sauce. Grate the Carrot. Mince the Garlic.

   
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground meats together and season with kosher salt and pepper
3. In a skillet, add 2 tbsp olive oil and soften the vegetables on medium heat, stirring often, until onion is translucent. Remove from heat

   
4. While the vegetables are softening, add the whole tomatos to a small pot and simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, crush the tomatos with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Remove from heat.
5. In a Dutch oven, brown the meat on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce while stirring. Do not brown intensely, the idea here is to just remove any raw red colour. Excess browning may lead to dry, crumbly texture.
6. Once the meat is browned add the vegetables, sage, 1/4 cup parsley, bay leaves, dry basil, dry oregano, and the tomatoes to the Dutch oven. Also add the stock and milk. Heat up the empty vegetable skillet, add the wine and let it cook off for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the pan. Then add to the Dutch oven.
7. Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven, uncovered for approximately 1.5 hours. Periodically (every 20-30 min) remove the Dutch oven briefly and use a spatula to scrape the browned bits around the edges into the sauce.

   
8. Remove Dutch oven from oven. Use a large spoon or ladle to skim off surface fat, leaving about 1/2 to 1 cup. Add cream and bring to a light boil, stirring occasionally to emulsify the remaining fat into the cream and reduce the sauce further. Add paprika, nutmeg and remaining 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. Stir. Stop boiling when the sauce achieves an even, thick consistency.

   
9. Add remaining 1/4 cup parsley and all of the Parmesan. Stir.
10. Serve over spaghetti, fettucine, tagliatelle, bucatini or rigatoni. Grate Parmesan on top.

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