Bison Red Wine Chili & Corn Bread

Although fall is in the air many of us are still dealing with the bounty of our summer gardens before said bounty spoils. I have been squeezing the modest output of my vegetable garden into every dinner I can. My kids have given up on not liking zucchini...its just too much work. This hearty chili is a slight twist on the family friendly version with a little red wine, a lot of zucchini, a little bison and mostly organic ingredients. Bison is delicious and tastes very much like what I feel good beef used to taste like. I am continuing to try and use only organic meat and as many other organic ingredients as my budget will allow. The cornbread recipe is simple and moist and requires no extras like cheese or peppers. It works well at sopping up the chili sauce.

Bison Red Wine Chili

• 30 ml / 2 T olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
• 15 ml / 1 T of cumin,ground
• 5 ml / 1 t of cinnamon, ground
• a large pinch of dried chili flakes* You can be way more generous here depending on how spicy you like your chili.
  
• 250 ml / 2 cups zucchini, diced
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 45 ml / 3 T tomato paste
• 1 l / 4 cups tomatoes, peeled, large dice (I used fresh tomatoes from my garden and a friends)
• 180 ml / 3/4 cup red wine
• 540 ml /19 fl. oz red kidney beans,cooked and rinsed

• 15 ml / 1 t olive oil
• 250 g / 1/2 lb bison, ground
  
• splash of red wine

In a large saucepan heat the oil on medium and then add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have browned (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon and chili flakes and cook for 1 minute stirring once or twice. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat. Then add the remaining vegetables and continue cooking until the zucchini and peppers are soft (about 7 minutes). Add the tomatoes, their juice and the wine. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour with the lid partially on the pot. Meanwhile in saute pan cook the ground bison in oil until the meat is no longer pink and there are some browned crispy bits. Add the bison to the chili. Deglaze the saute pan with a little red wine and scrap in whatever remains. Add the beans and continue to simmer for 1 hour more with the lid off. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with sour cream, cilantro sprigs and/or grated sharp cheddar.

I sprinkled dried ground chilies on my own plate because I have small children who cannot tolerate the spiciness yet, but feel free to be way more generous with the heat. I find ground chilies (which are just dried chilies ground in a coffee grinder), add a satisfying heat without the unwanted flavors of hot sauce.

Corn Bread
Adapted from The Hillybilly Housewife

• 125 ml / 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 375 ml / 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used organic yogurt)
• 2 eggs
• 60 ml / 1/4 cup of sugar
• 5 ml / 1 t salt
• 250 ml / 1 cup cornmeal
• 250 ml / 1 cup all purpose flour
• 5 ml / 1 t baking soda

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Add a splash of the melted butter to a 23 cm /9 inch cast iron pan. In a large bowl whisk together first 4 ingredients. In another bowl whisk together remaining 4 dry ingredients. Fold the wet into the dry ingredients until just blended. Put the pan in the oven for 5 minutes and then carefully retrieve the pan from the oven and quickly add the corn bread batter to the pan. Return the pan to the oven and cook until center is slightly springy (about 20-25 minutes). Cut into wedges and serve warm as an accompaniment to the chili.

In the last few weeks 2 different friends have given me eggs from their hens. I have also received from friends: potatoes, sweet peppers, patty pan, cucumbers (mine were eaten by a ground hog), among many other vegetables. Knowing where your food comes from is truly inspiring and makes you take special care when preparing them. Speaking of inspiration here is another site: Chef2Chef that I have come to enjoy as well as an article forwarded to me by a friend that keeps me going on my renewed quest for better and healthier food.

Pot au feu

I know for some spring is in the air, but for those of us in the Laurentians of Quebec it seems that winter is just beginning. Snow has finally fallen here and it is time to give a last salute to braised meats. Pot au feu is a classic and one I love making, eating and looking at so it is a perfect recipe for my blog. My kids on the other hand would take chicken nuggets over pot au feu any day so I hold back a lot on my braising urges. However their taste buds are starting to mature, and when all else fails there is nothing like having a great dessert lined up to threaten not allowing. It is not how I envisioned dinner with my family: vague threats uttered by me and a considerable amount of complaining by my children. Such is mealtimes with my little guys, and I am certainly never shocked by the lack of appreciation for my cooking.

Having said all this I did make pot au feu a few weekends ago. It was convenient because we would be out all day and I needed to serve a larger than usual crowd. I served it to my and a friend's children, and heard not a peep from any of them! They were not even aware of the dessert options. It gave me hope for a brighter tomorrow around the dinner table.

Beef Shank

There are two cuts of beef that I refer for Pot au feu. Blade roast or beef shank. If you go with a blade roast then ask your butcher for a few beef bones with marrow to add to the pot au feu.

Pot au feu

30 ml / 1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 large blade roast or beef shank* For the beef shank you will have to ask a butcher to prepare it for you as it is not a popular cut. It is very lean and contains a lot of collagen which gives great body to the dish. The marrow is delicious too!
250 ml /1 cup of red wine

1 large leek, cleaned and sliced
4 litres of beef or vegetable stock
5-10 vidalia or sweet onions, peeled but whole

5 large carrots, peeled and cut in three

5 stalks of celery, cut in three

5 parsnips, peeled and cut in large pieces

2 bay leaves

pinch of thyme

pinch of crushed peppers corns

5 garlic cloves, crushed

several sprigs of savory

Pre-heat oven to 93 C / 2oo F.

In a dutch oven or other large thick bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid, heat the olive oil on medium high. Generously salt and pepper the meat on both sides. Brown the meat on all sides and then remove and set aside. Saute the leek in the same fat for five minutes or until slightly browned. Deglaze the dutch oven with the wine and scrap up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Return the browned meat to the dutch oven, then add the beef stock, the vegetables, and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer on the stove top. Once simmering, cover and place in the middle rack of oven for minimum 4 hours and up to 8 hours. This recipe could easily be made in a slow cooker.

Blade roast

When you remove your pot au feu from the oven there are several ways to go. You can serve it as is, or strain out the liquid, reduce it and then add it back to the meat and veg. You can add cream to the reduce braising liquid and season it to your taste. You can slice the meat, and serve the vegetables and braising liquid separately. There are many ways to go here depending on the amount of time you have and how much you feel like fussing. I have also, on occasion, added a cup of barley for the last hour of cooking to absorb the liquid, and to add a no fuss starch. This dish is very versatile. If you have a lot of braising liquid left over you could make beef and barley soup. Pot au feu is traditionally served with mustard and pickled vegetables.