Bison Bolognese on Wild Game Kitchen
By Andrew Zimmern
In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, I’m making two great recipes with bison meat. First, let’s simmer up a classic Italian Bolognese sauce, with ground bison, lots of red wine and tomatoes. Then, it’s a taco feast for the ages—tamarind marinated bison skirt steak topped with a spicy charred peanut and chile salsa, charred onions and cilantro, served alongside a big bowl of borracho beans, pinto beans simmered with a ham hock over the hot coals in beer. Taco Tuesday has never been more delicious (recipe).
Tune into Wild Game Kitchen every Monday on Tastemade.
Bison Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 3 ribs celery, finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Several pinches chile flakes
- Bouquet garni of fresh rosemary, bay leaves and thyme
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano, or more to taste
- 1 bottle of a good red wine, (Rhone wines from E. Guigal)
- 2 pounds ground bison
- 1/2 pound chicken livers, chopped
- 1 24-ounce can San Marzano crushed tomatoes
- 12 basil leaves
- Calamarata or rigatoni pasta, for serving
- Basil and parsley, chopped for garnish
- Crusty bread, for serving
- Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
Place a large pot over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot and aromatic, add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, bouquet garni, oregano and chile flakes. Season with salt. Stir, cooking for 4-5 minutes. Pour in the bottle of wine and reduce the liquid by half, about 20 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and basil leaves, bring back to a simmer.
Meanwhile, preheat a plancha or cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the ground bison, season with salt and cook until browned. Add the browned bison to the sauce pot. Next, add the livers to the pan you browned the bison in, and sear until browned. Add the livers to the sauce pot.
Cover the pot and cook the bison bolognese over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes. Remove the cover, and season as needed with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large volume of salted water to a boil. Cook the calamarata pasta to al dente, according to the package directions. Reserve about a cup of pasta water.
To serve, combine the cooked pasta with the sauce and about ½ cup of pasta water to start in a large skillet. Cook for a few minutes, until it has thickened and coated the pasta.
Garnish with fresh basil and parsley, serve with crusty bread, passing plenty of good Reggiano parmesan at the table.
