A few weeks ago, we were invited out to supper at our friends’ place on a quiet road off the North Klondike highway. Our hostess met us in the driveway sporting a pair of well-worn gloves, holding a knife in one of them.
“Go right in, I’ll be with you in a sec,” she said.
“But what are you up to?”
“I’m just trying to clean a bison hide. I’m going to tan it.”
Inside, our host was moving calmly through the kitchen, draining potatoes, rolling out pastry for the berry pie, stirring a pot of bison stew on the stove—all the last-minute prep you hope to have done before everyone arrives. He greeted us with a huge smile, no sign of stress. I marvelled and took note.
This is how you do it when you’re having people over. Just chill. Clean the bison hide, do the prep. Talk to the guests while you chop. Direct them to the saffron-scented roasted nuts on the table, made by a chef friend from Victoria; offer the delicious, chewy, meaty bison jerky you’ve just made. When they’re ready, serve the bison marrow bones you’ve roasted for 20 minutes at 450F, with a sprinkling of marinated parsley on the side.
Call the charming children to the table, pour the wine and celebrate the harvest (just last week) of a fine bison that the whole family helped to process. When your guests leave, send them away with marrow bones, stewing meat, ground bison, ribs, and treats for the dog.
Lesson learned, I tackled a Bison Bourguignon, partly because you can make it a day ahead of the party—a golden tactic for the stress-bunny host.
I followed Julia Child’s recipe, but not exactly—we didn’t have bacon, I forgot the tomato paste (didn’t matter) and I used lamb stock because that’s all we had in the freezer.
Here’s a tip: The usual method is to cook the tiny onions and the mushrooms, while the stew is in the oven, and stir them in later. I flipped that on its head and roasted both mushrooms and onions in the oven first, because I could deal with the meat while they were cooking. Plus, the oven would be hot and ready for the stew.
Another tip: It’s hard to find tiny onions, fresh or canned, in the Yukon. So just use shallots instead.A final tip(newly re-learned by me): The guests are here to eat great food, but they’re mostly here to see you. Sit them at the counter with a glass of wine, and chat while you chop. Better yet, give them a job to do. They’ll feel like part of the family.
Bison Bourguignon
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cremini mushrooms cleaned, trimmed and quartered
- 10 or 12 small shallots peeled and sliced in half
- 4 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt divided
- 2 lbs bison stew meat
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 to 3 Tbsp flour
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled, quartered and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 cups bison or other strong stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, toss mushrooms with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Spread in a single layer on one of the baking sheets. In the same bowl, toss the shallots with a bit more olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Spread out on the second baking sheet.
- Put mushrooms and shallots in the oven. Roast the mushrooms for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven and pour off the liquid into a small bowl. Return the mushrooms to the oven and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until they are browned and tender. Keep an eye on the shallots and remove them when browned and tender, about 35 minutes. Remove mushrooms and onions from the oven, transfer to a bowl and reserve. Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.
- While the onions and mushrooms are cooking, prepare the meat. Remove any silver skin or gristle from the bison stew meat and cut it into uniform pieces. In a large bowl, toss the meat with rosemary, pepper and the remaining salt. Add the flour and toss again, making sure every piece is lightly coated.
- Heat butter and remaining oil in an oven-proof casserole, with a lid, over medium heat. Once butter is sizzling, brown the meat in batches, being careful, as Julia Child would say, not to crowd the pan. Transfer each batch to a bowl as it’s done.
- Add the mushroom juice and a little stock or red wine to the pan and scrape up the caramelized bits of meat with a wooden spoon. Stir in the onions and carrots. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add the garlic.
- Return the meat to the pan. Stir in the red wine and stock in stages, until the meat is just covered, keeping any extra handy. Cover, and when the stew is bubbling, transfer to the oven. Cook for 90 minutes, remove from oven and stir in the reserved mushrooms and shallots. Add more stock and/or wine until all the ingredients are covered and the liquid is velvety.
- Return to the oven and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, until mushrooms and onion are heated through, the meat is tender and the stew is dark and rich. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt as necessary.
- Serve on buttered egg noodles tossed with parsley, or buttered, boiled potatoes. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.
