Venison ragu

A rich, elevated twist on a classic. This hearty recipe brings together deep, savoury flavours and a focus on nutrient density, transforming a humble ragu into a wholesome, satisfying dish that’s as nourishing as it is delicious.

Now that the official intro is over, it’d be valid to let you in on why this recipe exists.
The brief tale begins at a luxury care home (yes, the ones for old folks, except this one is more like a 5* hotel), where I was tasked with helping older folk become healthier.
This statement may seem normal but it is nothing short of revolutionary.
The general landscape of feeding our elderly in a care setting is very much centred around just providing enough calories. Except calories do not make us healthy. They merely keep us alive.
Luckily, this revolutionary new luxury care home group let me work my magic by fully embracing the notion of wellbeing through food.
There was just one “little” issue: Having thoroughly researched this topic (via scientific reviews, not Googling), what I sadly realised is that in order to feed our over 75s the required amount of nutrients, we would pretty much have to ask them to put away 3 trays worth of food per day.
A minor curveball, some might say.
Undeterred, I carried on my research to land on venison and other British game meats. These underappreciated sources of food seemed to boast a better nutrient profile.
By further adjusting the content of meals via other highly nutritious ingredients, I could considerably reduce the size of meals but keep them, amazingly, just as nutritious.
This ragu is one such example.
A beautifully tasty dish that scores very high on the chart of essential nutrients.

If you enjoy “spag bol”, then trust me, you will get on with this recipe too.

Ingredients (makes 4 portions)

300g wild venison mince
1 organic chicken liver, 30g - 40g approximately
1 medium carrot
1 medium onion
1 stick of celery
1 clove of garlic

400g passata or chopped tomatoes

1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 sprig of fresh oregano
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Good quality extra virgin olive oil (I used Positively Good For You’s EVOO)

Sea salt 

Freshly ground black pepper



To serve:

A handful of fresh basil leaves

Parmesan cheese (optional)

350g of pasta, cooked al dente

Method:

1. Peel and dice the onion, celery and garlic.
2. Finely grate the carrot.
3. Pick the rosemary, thyme and oregano leaves from their stems. Roughly chop the herbs to release their flavour. 
4. Put the onion and celery in a casserole-style dish or a wide-brimmed frying pan.
5. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, turn the heat to medium and allow the onion and celery to sauté for 5 minutes until they are starting to turn translucent.
6. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the carrots, garlic, rosemary, oregano, thyme and venison mince to the pan. Stir and break up the venison mince. Cook for a couple of minutes to lightly brown the venison.
7. Add the passata to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium. Season with sea salt and black pepper and allow it to simmer gently for 10-15 minutes. You may need to turn the temperature down to low.
8. While the ragu is simmering, trim the chicken livers and dice them finely.
9. Add the chicken liver to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.
10. Check the seasoning and season again if needed.
11. Stir in the pasta to coat it in the sauce. Add a splash of the pasta’s cooking water to loosen the sauce and stir again.
12. Serve with fresh basil leaves scattered on top and a generous portion of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Burrata and rhubarb (or stone fruit) salad

Mild and creamy burrata with the sweet and sour notes of British rhubarb (or in season stone fruits) is such a delicious combination in a salad.
This recipe would make a great starter for 2 or a tasty lunch for 1.
Here are a few notes on the ingredients:

Burrata - meaning “buttered” is an Italian cheese whereby mozzarella is wrapped around a creamier version of mozzarella. The resulting cheese has a mozzarella-like exterior but a super creamy and soft centre. Its mild flavour makes a nice base for salads.
Look for it near the mozzarella in supermarkets.
For best results, season it well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on it. Which brings me nicely onto the next ingredient:

Olive oil - The type of olive oil you use can make or break this recipe. Aim for a milder flavoured olive oil rather than the more bitter versions. Quality is worth paying attention to because a lot of olive oils are oil blends rather than pure olive.
The olive oil I’m using is the newly launched Positively Good For You Spanish olive oil.
As well as having an utterly beautiful flavour, it is also packed with heart-healthy antioxidants. Before you pose the legitimate question of “aren’t all olive oils packed with heart-healthy antioxidants?”, let me just answer this for you. Yes, polyphenols/ antioxidants are present in most olive oils but the longer the olive oil is stored, the more those antioxidants disappear. It is rare for a company to test for the polyphenols, guarantee their presence and provide a best-before date that is a true indication of freshness.
Also, the Positively Good For You olive oil is incredibly well priced (read: it’s cheap) considering the quality and care that goes into every bottle.

Rhubarb or stone fruits - At the time of making this recipe, British rhubarb was in peak season; however, burrata pairs well with any stone fruit. As the seasons change, juicy peaches or nectarines, gooseberries and plums would all work well.
To substitute the rhubarb in this recipe, simply use some grilled or roasted fruit and some raw fruit.
This will provide the best version of that sweet & sour flavour that makes this recipe so nice.

Ingredients (serves 2 as a starter or 1 as a lunch)

1 burrata cheese
2 sticks of rhubarb (or a handful of gooseberries, 1-2 peaches or 2 plums)
Great quality olive oil (I used this one)
5-6 mint leaves, finely sliced
5-6 basil leaves, roughly torn
6 chives, finely chopped
A small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
3x radishes, thinly sliced
1/3 of a cucumber, thinly sliced
A large handful of watercress or a mix of bitter leaves such as watercress and rocket
A handful of blanched hazelnuts, toasted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

For the dressing:
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Roughly slice 1 stick of rhubarb into 1-2” chunks. Pop this on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 minutes until soft but not falling apart. Allow it to cool slightly.
3. Very thinly slice 1/3 of a stick of rhubarb. This will add a lemon-like flavour and a different texture profile.
4. Put your burrata in the middle of a plate. Cut the shape of a cross in the top of it and pull it apart so it spreads out. Season really well with sea salt and black pepper and drizzle some olive oil over the top of it.
5. Sprinkle the herbs over the burrata.
6. Put the radish, cucumber, raw and roasted rhubarb on top of the burrata.
7. Make the dressing by mixing the maple syrup, olive oil and lime juice. Taste it to check the flavour. It should be sweet to balance the tartness of the rhubarb. If you are using a sweeter stone fruit then you can get away with less maple syrup.
8. Spoon the dressing over the salad.
9. Put a handful of bitter leaves on top. Season again and serve straight away.

Minestrone - A nutritionally stellar soup

Soups are an actual necessity of warmth and comfort when the weather is cold.
Sadly, not many soups tick all of the nutrition boxes, which may mean one may start feeling hungry a short while after eating them.
Luckily, minestrone is pretty stellar.
It brings together an array of whole food ingredients, as well as the right combination of veggies and protein-containing beans to create a nourishing and warming bowl of food that’s perfect in winter. Or any season for that matter.

It ticks the box for:
- veggies - 3 portions
- antioxidants - thanks to the herbs, veggies and optional drizzle of olive oil
- protein - hello beans
- it is packed with gut-supporting fibre
- flavour
- comfort

Before you go on to the recipe, there is a small disclaimer: if you are of Italian heritage, please look away now.
This version of minestrone is far thicker than regulations permit and uses many shortcuts to make cooking this delicious soup much easier.
If you aren’t fond of thick soups, then feel free to add more water.
I quite enjoy the consistency being somewhere between a soup and a stew.

To the recipe:

Ingredients for 4 portions

1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf
1 little sprig each of rosemary and thyme
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2-3 sticks of celery, blend it into a paste if you don’t like celery, otherwise roughly slice it
120g pasta of your choice, I used small flower shapes
2 tins of any beans, I used butterbeans and white kidney beans
1 tin of plum tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
1/2 small savoy cabbage, roughly sliced
Around 4 tins of water. I made a thick version of minestrone that was more like a stew so if you prefer a soupier soup, then add more water. Just remember: more water = more salt & pepper required.
Sea salt & black pepper to season
Olive oil for cooking & drizzling

Optional toppings (recommended)
Freshly chopped parsley
Parmesan cheese
Lemon zest from an organic lemon

Bread of your choice

Method

For a video explainer go here: Minestrone Reel
1. Grab a large pan.
2. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, the onion, garlic and herbs.
Turn the heat on to medium and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the carrot, celery and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Stir it every now and then to stop things from catching on the bottom of your pan.
4. Add the tinned tomato and a tin of water.
If you are using plum tomatoes, then break these up roughly by stabbing them with a wooden spoon as you are stirring the soup. It’s nicer to have a few chunks of tomato, so don’t go too wild with the prodding.
5. Add the 2 tins of beans and another 2 tins of water.
Stir well.
6. Add the pasta.
Stir well again.
7. Season the soup really well. Remember this is at least 4 portions and it contains a lot of water so it will need a decent quantity of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Add the sliced cabbage and another tin of water.
9. Put a lid on the pan and allow everything to cook for 10 minutes.
10. Taste the soup to check the seasoning. Unless you went wild with the salt and pepper earlier then chances are it’s going to need a bit more seasoning. Season it, stir it and taste it again.
11. Serve with grated parmesan, lemon zest, parsley and chunky bread.

The soup stores well in the fridge for 3 days.
I haven’t tried freezing it.

Tahini hot chocolate

Cacao and tahini are both nutrient-packed ingredients that supply a whole host of otherwise hard-to-find minerals, such as magnesium and zinc.
I actually discovered this recipe at a cafe in Stockholm.
It was one of those “what in the name of hippies are we drinking now” moments but curiosity got the better of me so I ordered one.
It turned out to be a tasty drink whereby tahini added a nutty, creamy profile while the cacao gave it a rich chocolatey note. In summary, it is way more delicious than it sounds.

A word of advice: the quality of the ingredients you use will change this recipe quite considerably.
Basically, don’t be put off by getting this wrong in the first instance. If it’s not quite to your liking, then change the quantities of the ingredients. There is more on this below.

An even bigger word of advice: this is not a nighttime drink. Cacao is a stimulant, so it is much better to consume it in the morning or daytime.
Interestingly, some promising new research suggests cacao in the morning may help to reset our circadian rhythm.
Not that I needed an excuse for a morning hot chocolate, but in case you do then here it is.

Notes on ingredients:

Milk - the milk you use will change the drink. Oat milk is generally sweeter, dairy milk can add creaminess if it’s full fat and almond milk is more likely to be bitter.
Depending on your choice of milk, you may need to add more sweetness (dairy or soy) or less cacao (almond milk).
Cacao - cacao is the raw, higher-quality version of cocoa. It is unsweetened and generally quite bitter but it does contain more nutrients. It’s usually found in the health food or baking section of supermarkets.
My two favourite brands are Naturya and Aduna.
If your drink is not chocolatey enough, then you will need to add more cacao. To do this, mix 1/2 a teaspoon of cacao with one to two teaspoons of milk to form a paste and stir this in. If you try adding more cacao powder it’ll be clumpy and just float to the top.
Tahini - this is a sesame seed paste. You will find this near the spices or in the world food section of supermarkets. Alternatively, there are much nice quality versions in Middle Eastern stores.
The whiter the tahini, the milder flavour. The darker ones tend to be more bitter.
Sweetness - Unless I have really great quality honey then I generally opt for agave for sweetness because it is much sweeter, meaning I can use less. Maple syrup is another great option, however, it is much milder so you may need to add more to achieve the desired sweetness.
Xylitol is a good sugar-free sweetener option, just make sure it is fully dissolved.
Stevia drops work to a variable degree. Personally I find the taste of stevia a bit challenging.
Other ingredients - if you are into it, this recipe works well with a little bit of maca powder, a pinch of cinnamon, or 1/4 of a teaspoon of a mushroom powder such as reishi

Ingredients
1 mug of milk - literally pour the milk in a mug of your choice. Mine was approximately 250ml
2 teaspoons of cacao
2 teaspoons of tahini, reduce to 1 if you are using a non-white tahini
1-2 teaspoons of agave, honey or maple syrup

Method
Pour the milk into a pan and heat on a medium heat.
Put your cacao, tahini and agave in the mug and mix well. It will start forming a paste. This is a good way to avoid lumps of cacao.
Take a tablespoon of the warming milk and mix that into the cacao paste. It will loosen the paste and make sure everything mixes well when you pour the milk in.
Once the milk is fully warmed up, pour it into the mug.
Stir well to mix.
Taste it and adjust the flavour if required. (i.e. add more sweetness or more cacao if it needs a more chocolatey kick.)

Antioxidant turmeric and ginger shots

Whenever I feel below par, these antioxidant shots are the first thing I reach for.
Over the years, many of my nutrition clients also benefitted from (maybe “suffered” if we consider the flavour) these golden turmeric and ginger antioxidant boosters, all with a good outcome.

Here is the lowdown on antioxidants:
We have a steady supply of antioxidants inside every cell of the body.
These antioxidants are there to counteract anything that may be looking to damage our cells. This is fairly normal by the way, even the act of making energy from sugar creates unwanted “attackers” that are quickly neutralised by antioxidants.
Sometimes, however, our supply of antioxidants runs low, leaving us feeling below par.
The vast majority of our antioxidants come from food, especially from fruits and vegetables but every now and then a shortcut or additional top up doesn’t go amiss.
That’s where these turmeric and ginger antioxidant shots come in handy.

The intel on the turmeric and ginger shots:
Turmeric and ginger both contain a heap of potent antioxidants.
Sadly, they are pretty hard for us to absorb by themselves, especially curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric.
The good news is, I appraised the scientific evidence (read I did some epic nerding) to ensure the antioxidants present are as absorbable as possible.
There were two key findings:

1. The active ingredients in turmeric are fat soluble, hence the base of coconut milk.

2. Turmeric benefits from a little bit of extra help to be absorbed.
For this reason, you may have heard of the combination of turmeric and black pepper in supplements.
I’m not a fan of that combination. A little bit more on that here.
Luckily, quercetin, an antioxidant found in citrus zest is a great alternative that can similarly improve the absorption of turmeric. In addition, citrus zest contributes even more antioxidants in the form of citrus polyphenols. Just make sure that lemon is 100% organic and unwaxed, for obvious reasons.

Onto the recipe.
The ingredients are listed below but here are a few notes and storage options:

Turmeric root - larger supermarkets, especially Sainsbury’s and Waitrose tend to stock the root itself. It’s generally hidden next to ginger or fresh herbs.
Alternatively, check your local Middle Eastern or Asian store or order it online.
The recipe can still be made with turmeric powder, but it’s better with fresh root turmeric.
Turmeric powder tends to lose its antioxidant content over time. This is worth considering if you’ve left that jar of turmeric powder in your spice cupboard for years.
All in all, fresh turmeric root has a bit more going for it and has a milder (nicer) taste.

Ginger root - it’s pretty standard stuff. You get awarded extra points if you manage to get hold of organic ginger root because organic ingredients tend to have more antioxidants.

Coconut milk - this one is a biggie. Most tinned coconut milk contains a long list of unnecessary ingredients that extend to emulsifiers, thickeners and gums. Needless to say, these are not ideal but the good news is pure coconut and water-only coconut milks do exist.
Aim for one that does only contain coconut and water.
Clearspring and Biona are both brilliant options.

Lemon zest - as I mentioned before, please use organic, unwaxed lemon. Lemons, and other citrus fruit, for that matter, are usually coated with both synthetic wax and a couple of different antifungal agents. The latter are known carcinogens.

Storage:
Owing to how messy making these antioxidant shots is, my recommendation would be to make a larger batch and freeze it.
I tend to freeze them in a silicone ice cube tray and pop a couple of ice cubes every now and then.
Occasionally, I’ll defrost them by adding a little bit of hot water to the ice cubes.

Ingredients

1 tin of good-quality coconut milk
1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon 
A large chunk of ginger 
4 bits of turmeric root 
Zest of 1/2 an organic, unwaxed lemon 

Method
Peel the ginger and turmeric root.
Please use gloves to peel turmeric because it will dye your hands otherwise.
Put everything into a blender and blend for a couple of minutes until smooth.
If the coconut milk you are using is particularly thick then add a splash of water for ease. It’ll help everything blend better.
The liquid will keep in the fridge for 3 days.
Freeze in ice cube trays for longer-term storage.