Bison bolognese is a hearty Indigenous spin on a traditional Italian recipe.--PHOTO BY JOLYNN PARENTEAU
Nadine Atkinson (nee Paul) is a Metis-Cree woman on a journey of cultural discovery. Based in Beaumont, just south of amiskwaciy waskahikan (Cree, “beaver mountain house”), modern-day Edmonton in Treaty 6 territory, Atkinson and her husband are raising two young daughters.
In July, Atkinson began documenting her journey on Instagram as user @creator.save.the.chief, sharing road trips back to her home community of Sagitawa (Cree, “where the rivers meet”) in northern Peace Country in Treaty 8 territory. From her work as an architectural technologist, a space maker for reconciliation in design, to decolonizing her wardrobe with repurposed hand-beaded accessories, Atkinson is leaning into exploring her heritage so she may pass on cultural ways of knowing to her children.
“Recently I invited Creator into my life,” she shares of her newfound spiritual connection. Likening her healing journey to lighting a cleansing smudge, Atkinson says, “My sage is burning and I am learning. I am proud to be reclaiming our ways and am excited for the journey ahead of me.”
Earlier nightfall and colder winds call for meals that nourish the soul as well as fuel our bodies. For an Indigenous take on an authentic Italian dinner, Atkinson shares this recipe she calls “buffalonese,” a hearty dinner that will have everyone cleaning their plates.
Bison Bolognese or Buffalonese
Minimum cook time: 1.5 hours
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup minced carrot
• 1/2 cup minced celery
• 2 lbs ground bison
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
• 4 cloves minced garlic
•
1/2 cup red wine (substitute with balsamic vinegar for no alcohol)
• 3 cups passata (tomato puree)
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large heavy pot, heat the oil and butter on medium heat, 5 minutes.
“I add butter to compensate for the lean quality of the bison compared to the beef and pork the original recipe calls for,” says Atkinson.
2. Soften the onion, carrot and celery, 10 minutes. In Italian, these three vegetables cooked together are known as “soffritto”.
3. Add the ground bison and cook on medium-high heat until liquid is gone and meat browns, approx. 30 minutes. In Medicine Hat area, protein producer Deerview Meats retails ground bison.
“The brown crispy bits add lots of flavour,” recommends Atkinson.
4. Add salt, sage, garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until aromatic. When Atkinson prepares this meal outdoors in summer, she roasts the garlic on a grill until it becomes a spreadable paste, but prepared garlic is a simpler option.
5. Add wine or balsamic vinegar (I used red wine vinegar I found in the same aisle and hoped it was the right compromise). Cook until absorbed, approx. 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the passata and milk, let simmer for 10 minutes. The milk helps enrich the flavour and tenderizes the meat.
7. Turn heat to low, stir occasionally and simmer half-covered for a minimum of thirty minutes or up to three hours. I allowed mine to simmer for one hour, but by then I was hungry and it was already dark out.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over your favourite pasta or use in a lasagna. This recipe makes enough sauce for 6 cups of dry penne. Freezes well.
“I learned the original bolognese recipe during a pasta class in Bologna, Italy during our honeymoon five years ago,” remembers Atkinson. “During the class our teacher stressed that adding or removing any ingredients is blasphemous, making it not a true bolognese, hence my twist with this buffalonese recipe. The guts and technique still live on, but I substitute bison and add sage to make it more authentic to me.”
A note from the columnist: I misunderstood passata to mean strained tomatoes and used canned Aylmer Accents brand stewed tomato varieties with Italian seasonings and spicy red peppers, and while bursting with flavour and texture, it didn’t produce the thick red sauce you’d expect from a pasta sauce. A belated online search explains passata as a tomato puree strained from seeds and skin and without the addition of preservatives or seasonings. To adhere more closely to the original recipe, bottled passata sauce is available in most grocery stores.
Perhaps we may anger some nonne (Italian grandmothers), but our kookum (Cree grandmother) ancestors must be pleased.
JoLynn Parenteau is a Metis writer out of Miywasin Friendship Centre. Column feedback can be sent to jolynn.parenteau@gmail.com
