4ouncesfried chicken mushrooms you can substitute shiitakes
¼cupdry red wine
½cupblack barleyor regular barley
8cupsmeat stockpreferably homemade
2cupsmirepoixcarrot, onion, and celery diced ¼ inch
Rendered animal fat or cooking oilfor browning the meat. (I used beef lard)
Bouquet garni consisting of: 1 dried bay leaf2 garlic cloves, 5 sprigs of thyme, and 5 black peppercorns
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepperto taste
½ cup Wild rice flouras needed for dredging (optional)
Instructions
Cut the bison into ½ inch cubes. In a 4 qt or similar size saucepot, heat the lard or oil. Season the bison liberally with salt and pepper, then dredge in the wild rice flour if using. Tap off the excess flour and brown deeply, working in small batches. Remove the bison meat to a towel to catch excess fat.
Discard the spent fat from the pan. Add a little more for cooking the mushrooms. Heat the oil until, then brown the mushrooms lightly.
Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add the mirepoix and cook for a few minutes until no longer raw, stirring occasionally.
Add the barley. De-glaze the pan with the red wine, then add the browned meat, bouquet garni, and stock to the pot.
Bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer the stew, covered until the meat is tender, about 1.5 hours. Skim off any scum from the stock occasionally. Remove the bouquet if using and discard.
Double check the seasoning of the soup for salt and pepper and adjust until it tastes good to you. Serve it garnished with a few fresh cut chives and a spoonful of sour cream. The stew will taste better the day after it's made.
Notes
Thickening the soup I use wild rice flour here. Wild rice flour adds a subtle taste without making a broth gummy like flour can. It's also a traditional Native American food that loves bison. If you want to use all purpose flour instead, mix a tablespoon of flour and oil together until it makes a paste. At the end of cooking, stir the paste into the soup to thicken it as you would roux. Simmer it for a few extra minutes before serving.Making in a slow cookerI use a small soup pot here, but you can easily make this in a slow cooker by doubling the quantities listed.