Smoky, Spicy Bison Chili

Ingredients:
1 lb ground bison
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 cup diced poblano peppers
1/3 cup smoked sun-dried tomatoes, julienne cut
30 oz canned fire roasted diced tomatoes with chipotle
30 oz canned dark red kidney beans, drained
1 teaspoon habanero hot sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon ground jalape�o
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon allspice


Directions:

Slow Cooker directions:
In a dry skillet, saute the onions, carrot, celery, poblano peppers and bison meat. Break the meat into small bits and saute until the meat is fully cooked. Bison is very lean so there shouldn't be grease but if there is, drain it off. Add to a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Cook on low for up to 9 hours.

Stove top directions:
In a dry, wide pot, saute the onions, carrot, celery, poblano peppers and bison meat. Break the meat into small bits and saute until the meat is fully cooked. Drain off any grease. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until some of the liquid has evaporated and the chili is cooked through and hot.

My thoughts:

I was excited to finally get a bunch of poblano peppers from my garden that I had to put them in this chili. Last year we had peppers growing all summer but for some reason, this year they waited until September. I had a couple of cans of fire roasted tomatoes with chipotle I've been waiting to use until it got cool enough to make chili. If you can't find these particular tomatoes, substitute 30 oz fire roasted or plain diced tomatoes and 2 minced chipotle peppers. Ground bison (we get ours from Gunpowder Bison) is an excellent meat to use in chili, it is flavorful but very lean. I like making it in the slow cooker best, the prep is pretty quick (you can even chop the vegetables the night before) and I think the flavor is more developed but the stove top method is a great alternative.

This is a spicy, smoky chili thanks to the chipotle and the lovely smoked sun dried tomatoes. If you can't find smoked sun dried tomatoes, substitute regular sun dried tomatoes and a bit of liquid smoke. The tomatoes rehydrate in the chili and add a lot of texture interest so I wouldn't leave them out entirely.

Indian Tacos

Ingredients:

for the taco meat
1 lb ground bison
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz pinto beans, drained
10 oz canned diced tomato with green chile
4 oz canned fire-roasted diced Hatch green chiles
1 tablespoon hot Mexican-style chili powder
2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground jalapeno

for the fry bread
2 cups water
2 packages dry yeast
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups flour

to serve:
shredded sharp cheddar
shredded iceburg lettuce
diced tomatoes
optional: sour cream and avocado

Directions:
for the fry bread:
Whisk the flour and yeast togehter in a large bowl. Place the sugar, salt, water and butter in a small sauce pan and heat until almost boiling. Allow to cool slightly. Pour over the flour and yeast and mix with a dough hook until a smooth, not too sticky ball of dough forms. If the dough is very sticky, slowly mix in additional flour. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the meat. Saute the meat, onions and garlic in a large skillet until the onions just soften. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.


Heat about 2 inches of canola oil in a deep frying pan or skillet. Divide dough into about 15 pieces. On a clean, floured surface, roll dough into discs about 1/4 inch thick circles about 6 inches in diameter. Fry until golden brown on each side. Drain both sides on paper towel lined plates. If they puff up a lot during frying, press with a paper towel to deflate.

Place the meat on the center of the taco. Sprinkle with desired toppings. Fold in half to eat.

Serves 15.

My thoughts:

Indian tacos started out as a Najavo invention but quickly grew to become a popular contemporary powwow and festival treat served all over North America. Fry bread was named the official state bread of South Dakota back in 2005 and Indian tacos became the official state dish of Arizona in 1995. There is even a National Indian Taco Competition in Oklahoma. They are the perfect fair food: fried, spicy and portable. And they are surprisingly easy to make at home.

The fry bread comes together quickly and if cooked in hot oil and drained, much less greasy than you'd think. Some recipes call for baking soda instead of yeast but I find that a yeast dough yields a much more tender, tastier bread.

Often the beans in Indian tacos are served as a topping but adding them to the meat imbues them with flavor and eliminates the need to heat them separately. Bison is an extremely lean meat that works well with strong spices and isn't as "heavy" as ground beef-perfect for use in a dish like Indian tacos.


Note: you can also bake the dough for the fry bread at 450 for a few minutes to make a tasty flatbread.