Bison Meat Bloomington - Bison QuesadillasThe following dish was served at our annual conference kick-off luncheon. Chef Andy Floyd, who came up with the dish, provided a cooking demonstration to about 300 attendees on how to prepare the bison green chili. Learn more about Chef Andy and his Denver-based cooking school, The Kitchen Table, here. Also, be sure to check out Chef Andy’s “Bison & Bourbon” cooking classes here.

Bison hatch green chili with Queso Fresco quesadillas
Serves: 2

Chili:

  • 2 Tbsp. Butter
  • 2½ Tbsp. All-purpose flour
  • 3 Ea. Anaheim peppers
  • 1 Ea. Jalapeno
  • 1 Tbsp. Olive oil, as needed
  • 8 oz. Bison chuck, cubed
  • ¼ C. Bison bacon, cut into ¼-inch strips
  • ½ Ea. Onion, diced
  • 2 Ea. Garlic cloves
  • 1½ tsp. Cumin, toasted, ground
  • 1½ qt. Chicken stock
  • ½ C. Can, peeled plum tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved
  • 2 tsp. Lemon juice
  • ¼ C. Cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and pepper

Method and technique:

  1. To make a roux, melt the butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat and stir in the flour. Cook for a minute until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside
  2. Preheat grill. Lightly coat peppers with oil and char on all sides. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20-minutes. Remove the charred skin, seeds and stem and discard. Dice half of the green chilies and set aside. Purée the remaining half and set aside
  3. Pat dry the bison with paper towels and season with salt and pepper
  4. Heat a little oil in a large pan, add the buffalo and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside
  5. Return pan to the heat and add the bacon and brown. Remove from pan and add to bison
  6. Add a little more oil if necessary and brown the onions
  7. Add the garlic and cook for a minute
  8. Add the cumin and cook for a minute
  9. Deglaze with the chicken stock. Add the diced and puréed chilies, bison and bacon, diced tomatoes and a little tomato juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer until the bison is tender, about an hour
  10. Add half of the reserved roux and whisk in to thicken. Add more if necessary
  11. Add a little lemon juice, cilantro and season with salt and pepper

Quesadilla:

  • 4 Ea. Flour tortillas, 6-inch
  • 1 C. Queso Fresco, grated
  • Olive oil
  • 1 Ea. Green onion, sliced very thin on the bias, for garnish
  • Sour cream

Method and technique:

  1. Spread the tortillas out on a work surface. Top half of them with the Queso Fresco and top with the other tortillas and press down
  2. Heat oil in a large pan, add the quesadillas, place a pan on top to press down, and brown. Turn over and brown the second side. Remove from pan and, using a small biscuit cutter, cut into circles

Final preparation:

  1. Ladle chili into a bowl, top with the mini quesadillas and sour cream and sprinkle with green onions

Courtesy of National Bison Association (NBA) www.bisoncentral.com

Official link to article: https://www.bisoncentral.com/bison-recipes/bison-hatch-green-chili-queso-fresco-quesadillas