A friend was nice enough to hook me up with 8 lb of ground venison, and I'm soliciting advice on some good recipes. A stew is definitely in order, given the cold and dreary day we're having here in PA.
If you're up for some Guido food...
Get a palm full or two of juniper berries, sea salt, unsalted butter, and rye seed, some decent Italian red wine (try a varietal from Bolla like a bardolino). And mix it all up in a big bowl. And, run it through the meat grinder. Then stuff it in the fridge overnight.
The next day take out a little at a time and stuff it into some cleaned out intestines. A good sausage stuffer attachment on the meat grinder machine is handy. And, it is easier if the meat is kept cold. Once all the meat is in the casings, throw it back in the fridge. It does not need to be covered. It is better that is isn't. The sausage will slowly lose moisture as it ages. It'll be fine for about a week. The more wine and salt and juniper berries you use the longer it will last. In Italian this is called Salsiccia di Cervo. (Deer Sausage)
As an alternative the mixture can be stuffed into fresh pasta comprised of 1/2 flour, 1/2 semolina, white wine and egg yolks.
You can stew the sausage or stuffed pasta in red wine (see above) composed of a sofritto (onion, celery, and carrots), cloves, cinnamon, black peppered pancetta, juniper berries, rosemary, olive oil, bay leaves, and garlic (although garlic and sofritto are not normally combined it may do some good here). Even a little cream if desired.
Or you could coook it even on a stovetop in a gremolata; that is a combination of anchovy, lemon, and parsley. In which case a little rabbit could help out the flavor some, but even by itself it is sufficient. If cooking it with a gremolata you may want to make a seperate batch of sausage using a white wine pro secco, as the flavors involved are more delicate.
(Kudos to Yooper for the mention of the lamb. It makes greaaat leftovers! I grew up with my mom feeding us on lamb, onions, potato, and oregano in the style of Avellino)