Bison Stew
Bison Guinness Stew
Stew is a delicious hearty meal that most people love on a cold winter day or, for me, after a long day of fishing in the spring or fall. Especially after those cool rainy days we sometimes run into while out on our favourite rivers.

Bison is on the menu in many Alberta and Montana restaurants and if it isn’t already part of your regular diet I encourage you to try it in many different recipes to explore the versatility and wonderful taste of this alternative to beef. In honour of our Alberta and Montana theme for this month I have modified a Beef & Guinness Stew from Jamie Oliver’s recent cookbook to include bison instead of beef.

*Thanks J.J. for the wonderful bison meat.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 ½ oz baby pickled onions
1 large onion
3 large carrots
1 celery heart
½ a bunch of fresh thyme (about 1/2 oz)
1 ¾ lbs rutabaga
6-10 small mushrooms (cremini work well with the bison)
1 lb bison stew meat
4 cups beef stock
½ x 440 ml can of Guinness
2 ½ cups pearl barley
1 lb fresh seasonal greens, such as kale, cabbage, chard
¾ oz sharp cheddar cheese
4 heaping teaspoons hot English mustard

Instructions
Put a large casserole pan on medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and the whole pickled onions. Peel and quarter the regular onion, then pull the quarters apart into petals and add to the pan. Stir regularly while you wash and trim the carrots and celery and slice both into slices ¼ inch thick at an angle. Stir them into the pan, then strip in the thyme leaves. Cook and stir for 10 minutes while you peel the rutabaga and chop it into 1 ¼ inch chunks, and quarter the mushrooms. Stir both into the pan, then slice the bison into 1 ¼ inch thick cubes and add that too. After a couple of minutes, pour in the stock and Guinness. Bring up to a simmer, cover and let simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Cook the barley according to the package instructions. Prepare and steam your greens in a colander over the barley for the last 10 minutes of the barley cooking time. Drain the barley and return it to the pan, grate in the cheese, add the English mustard and mix together.

Taste the stew and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve with the barley and greens on the side.

Tip: This stew freezes well so make a big batch!

Tip: You can easily adapt the recipe to a slow cooker by lightly browning the bison and then adding all the stew ingredients to the slow cooker. If you turn the slow cooker on low in the morning the stew will be ready to eat and delicious by the time you come home from fishing.

Enjoy!

Adapted from: Super Food Family Classics by Jamie Oliver

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