Spicy Bison Bolognese – Foodie Friday

Today's edition of our Foodie Friday series takes a rather exotic turn. Here's how Chef Jill McCoy and I arrived on the subject of today's recipe. I was shopping at my favorite grocery store looking for some meat. I was kind of tired of hamburger, chicken, and fish. I wanted something new to try. That's when I saw the package of ground bison meat.

My knowledge of bison is probably about as extensive as yours. I have seen pictures of them roaming around Yellowstone Park. I have heard how they once filled the plains of the United States but were basically hunted to extinction by hungry pioneers. Not once in my thoughts of bison did I every query. "I wonder what that hairy beast tastes like"?

The truth is that "hair beast" is really pretty dang good. Especially if you follow this unique Italian twist on a very American meat.

A couple of things you might want to know about bison  meat. It's very lean. It's very flavorful. It actually has less calories than a comparable serving of beef. It is also much lower in fat content but it has enough fat to generate good flavor.

What is Bolognese? In a nut shell it's a meat based tomato sauce that was first created in the city of Bologna Italy. It's what most of us call meat sauce that we put on our pasta. Except most of use ground beef.

In Chef Jill's sauce the ingredients are very fresh. The ingredients are also very easy to find, even the bison meat. It takes a little time to let the sauce simmer and meld into a delightful flavor filled concoction. So, you might need to plan a little simmer time but let me tell you it's worth it. It's also worth it because you're eating healthier and if you combine the Bolognese over a whole wheat pasta you are living right.