Venison Ragu: A Novel

Read Time: 4 min

By Scott Schaden

This article pairs with BSP371: Scott Schaden of Terra Restaurant on Opening Delays, Menu Stories, & Workplace Culture. Check it out to learn more about Scott and Terra Restaurant.

My passion for ragu didn’t jump up and bite me, or strike me like a lighting bolt. It didn’t come out of nowhere and hit me over the head with a frying pan (or a dutch oven as the case may be). It happened slowly over time. It happened organically, one pot at a time over many many years of cooking for guests, friends and family. Like ragu itself, my passion has been developed by the slow melting of many influences and ingredients. It is the result of a 1000 pots. 

Imagine you are sitting at a table at Terra Restaurant with three of your closest friends, and a healing bowl of Ragu with rigatoni is set in front of you. The pasta sits in an untidy pile in the center of the plate. It's thickly coated in a meaty rustic sauce. The color is reminiscent of the dark brick hued red in your cup of house chianti. The plate is steaming, filling your nostrils with a rich scent that immediately warms you to the bone. Is that juniper and coriander you’re smelling underneath it all? 

You can’t contain yourself, you grab the fork to your right and frantically stab at bits of meat and pasta, trying to assemble the perfect bite. That first bite hits you. Its unctuous, velvety fattiness rushing to your brain, overwhelming your senses. You are connected with all of the cultures and generations who have thrown the bounty of the land into a pot with aromatics and herbs to cook low and slow. Transforming the humble into the sublime. This is it. This surely is what life is all about.

The Venison Ragu with Rigatoni is our way of connecting you with this profound connection to the Terra of the Texas venison and the Rocky Mountain region. While this dish is an absolute centerpiece, it is not the main event. Connecting you to the history, geography and heritage of the American West, that is the main event. 

 To concoct this masterpiece, we start by searing the venison and vegetables in our hearth oven to develop an intensely deep color and rich umami. This will be the foundation from which we build a depth flavor that can only come from years of experience and the commitment, cooking low and slow for hours upon hours overnight. During this mysterious time, there is an alchemy that occurs, where sharp edges soften and flavors peak, until all things melt together to become more than the sum of its parts. And it's fucking delicious. 

As this bowl sits in front of you, licked clean, you are now immersed in the Terra of the American West. We hope you allow us the opportunity to bring you into the fold. Oh, and when you join us, let us know you read this article for a complimentary welcoming taste of that aforementioned house Chianti. See you soon.

Born in Colorado, Scott Schaden is the Chef Owner of Terra Restaurant. He spent about 10 years working the Denver and Boulder restaurant scene and attended Johnson and Wales University for Culinary Arts. After leaving Johnson and Wales, he traveled to Italy’s Piedmont Region to study and work for several months. In his late twenties he relocated to Chicago and after floating through several work opportunities reconnected with a chef from his former years in Boulder. He went to work for Cameron Grant Chef owner of Osteria Langhe and former Head Chef of Laudisios Restaurant in Boulder. Working as Executive Sous Chef at the award winning Osteria Langhe he moved on to re-concept the companies other restaurant Langhe Market as Chef de Cuisine. Scott’s excited to be coming home to open Terra in his home state.