26 | November | 2022 | Bewitching Kitchen

Living in Kansas we have access to excellent bison meat, in fact not too long ago the husband went to a farm near our town and brought home several packages of bison meat, some for stew, some ground. This is my adaptation of a French classic, some components will be missing to accommodate our food sensitivities. As usual, brown food is so tricky to get nice pictures, so trust me when I say this is delicious, perfect comfort food for the weather we are experiencing.

BISON A LA MODE DE BOURGOGNE
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

5 strips of thick bacon, cut in large pieces
several tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds bison stew meat, cut in pieces
salt and pepper to taste
4 large carrots, peeled, cut in 1/4 inch slices
2 shallots, diced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (14.5 oz)
1 bouquet garni, made with parsley, thyme and bay leaves
1 bottle red wine
2 cups cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon butter
fresh parsley, minced

Sauce the bacon without any added fat, until golden brown and starting to get crispy. Remove pieces to a paper towel to drain excess fat. Take one tablespoon of bacon fat, add to a Dutch oven and add a little more olive oil. Season the bison meat with salt and pepper, and sautée in batches until it starts to get brown. Remove to a bowl, and add the bacon pieces to the bowl.

If needed, add more oil to the pan and sauté the carrots and shallots for 5 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes, the wine, and the bouquet garni. Deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon, then place the meat and bacon back. Season with a little more salt, cover the pan, and place in a 325 F oven for 3 hours. Check after 2 hours to make sure it is not getting too dry. If there is very little liquid, add water. Meat should be super tender at the end of cooking.

About 10 minutes before serving, saute the mushrooms in butter, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms to the bison stew, add fresh parsley and serve. Adjust seasoning if needed.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Bison is a fantastic type of meat, very flavorful but not excessively fatty. A little bit of bacon, is not only traditional, but needed when using such a lean meat, it does pump up the flavor. The amount of liquid might seem excessive (full bottle of wine!) but in fact I had to add quite a bit more water after 2 hours. If you are in our team, that is – heading to real cold weather – consider making a big batch. Comfort food at its best!