Mooooove Over Beef It’s Bison’s Turn to Roam STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATALIE FINDLAY
1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced 2 tsp garlic, grated 1 sprig rosemary (or ½ tsp ground) 5 sprigs thyme (or 1 tsp ground) ¼ cup (60 mL) white wine 1. In a large cast iron pan over medium heat add 2 Tbs butter and let it just start to brown. 2. Pat dry the steaks and season with salt and pepper. Add the steaks to the pan making sure not to overcrowd your pan. Cook on one side for 2 minutes. 3. Flip steaks and sear another 2 minutes and remove from pan and set aside. This should give you a perfectly medium rare bison steak. If cooked longer, the meat starts to get tough. 4. Add the other 2 Tbs butter and olive oil to the pan. Add the mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and let cook, stirring occasionally. Brown the mushrooms on both sides, approximately 3 - 5 minutes. 5. Add the garlic and stir together with the mushrooms. Add the wine and reduce slightly. 6. Add the steaks back into the pan and turn to coat.
B
ison is a naturally tender, dense meat with a rich, clean, almost sweet taste, and no gaminess. A limited amount of fat means bison is a healthier option and requires less time to cook, which means that dinner is on the table in record time. Bison will take on flavours quickly and readily, however it prefers being a minimalist – just a touch of salt and pepper and the beauty of this meat really shines.
22 Culinaire | May 2022
Asian Style Bison Lettuce Cups Serves 4 as an appetizer
Bison Steak Medallions and Mushrooms Serves 4
4 Tbs butter, divided To taste salt and pepper 4 - 170 to 225g bison strip loin steaks (or your preference for size) 2 Tbs butter 2 Tbs (30 mL) olive oil 1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbs (15 mL) light soy sauce 1 tsp (5 mL) dark soy sauce 1 Tbs (15 mL) oyster sauce ½ tsp (3 mL) Chinese cooking wine ½ tsp (3 mL) rice wine vinegar 1 Tbs (15 mL) sesame oil 3 Tbs red onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 454 g ground bison 2 Tbs cornstarch 1 Tbs (15 mL) cold water
