A few good friends of ours started BisonBison, purveyors of top quality grass fed American bison meat. Bison is leaner and gamier than beef, and works really well in a chili during these cold winter months. I made this recipe by modifying our ever-reliable vegetarian chili with tofu recipe.
Many people are very particular about what goes into their chili, particularly revolving around beans: beans, no beans, only beans, two kinds of beans, three kinds of beans, etc. I’m not one of those people. I usually just throw in whatever vegetables I have (this time, no beans), and rely on good seasoning from plenty of garlic, cumin, fennel seeds, and a bit of pimentón for some smokiness.
This recipe is easy to double or triple and works especially well in large batches. Or it can work just as well for a weeknight dinner – when you don’t feel like simmering it forever, just add more tomato paste and less stock to keep the thick consistency.
Bison Chili
Delicious bison chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 medium garlic cloves peeled and diced
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper seeds removed (if desired) and chopped
- 1 pound BisonBison ground bison
- Your choice of chopped veggies here I used 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 1 cup white mushrooms, and one small bunch of broccoli
- 1 28 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1-2 cups chicken stock vegetable stock, or water
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon Mexican or other oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon pimentón
- chili powder or cayenne to taste
Instructions
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Heat half the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the ground buffalo and cook until cooked through and a bit crispy. Add the remaining oil, then the garlic, onions, serrano or jalapeño pepper, bell pepper, and broccoli and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Add tomatoes, tomato paste, fennel seeds, oregano, cumin, pimentón, salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of stock or water and assess consistency, adding 1/2 cup-1 cup more if it's too thick or if you'd prefer to simmer it longer. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Taste and add chili powder or more seasoning for desired spiciness. Simmer for at least 10 minutes or up to an hour.
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Ladle the chili into bowls and top with chopped avocado, diced parsley or cilantro, cheese, and greek yogurt or sour cream.
Toppings
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Add any toppings of your choice: grated sharp cheddar cheese, chopped avocado, greek yogurt or sour cream, and chopped parsley or cilantro
This looks fabulous! I mean really really delicious. My sister gave me a slow cooker for my birthday so this will be my first recipe. I'll look for the bison bison (random that your friend started this) and do it up right!