Venison meatballs with spiced tomato sauce and cheese

A nice addition to the meatball recipe is substituting up to 20% of the venison mince with pork mince to add some fat and flavour. You can throw some grated cheese on top and serve as a snack or toss everything through some pasta for a main meal.

 Spiced Tomato Sauce

• 4 tins chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbs red wine vinegar
• ½ small tin chipotle chillis
• 4 Tbs sugar
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• ¼ bunch coriander (chopped)

Fine dice the onions and garlic and sweat off in a pot with the olive oil. Add the tomatoes, chipotle, sugar and vinegar. Simmer on a low heat until thickened (about 1hr) then add the chopped coriander. Blend in a food processor or use a stick blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Venison Meatballs

• 500g venison mince
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds
• 1 egg
• Handful of chopped parsley
• 1/4C grated parmesan
• 1/2C bread crumbs

Mix all the ingredients together and season with some salt and pepper.  Roll into balls and fry then top with sauce.