1lbVenison or bison shoulderneck, or stew meat, cubed
Cooking oil or lardas needed, a few tablespoons
4ozwild onionsramps, or 1 small yellow onion
2.5ozdried timpsila
2ozdried hominy
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepperto taste
Generous pinch dried ramp leaf spiceoptional
2tablespoonscornflour
Garnishes like fresh cut chives and or wildflowers optional
Instructions
Bison and hominy
The night before cooking (if possible), season the venison all over with salt and pepper. Put the hominy and timpsila in separate containers, then cover both with twice their volume of boiling water.
Assembling and cooking
The next day, or a few hours later, Remove the timpsila, reserving the liquid, and cut into pieces about the size of the venison. Large timpsila should be cut in half through the tap root, then cut into smaller pieces from there (roughly ⅛ths for large ones) very small timpsila can be cut into rounds or quartered.
In a heavy pot of dutch oven, brown the meat over high in in the oil. Add the cornmeal, cook until golden, then add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the hominy and timpsila and soaking water along with the pinch of ramp leaves if using. Add water just to barely cover the ingredients, bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cook 1.5 hours or until the meat, timpsila, and hominy are tender.
The hominy and timpsila will be slightly chewy, this is normal.
Double check the seasoning for salt and pepper, adjust as needed. If you think you’d like it thicker, toss in another spoonful of cornmealand cook until it thickens.
When the stew tastes good to you, ladle into warmed soup bowls, garnish and serve. Like most stews, it tastes better the next day.
Notes
This is great with buffalo, but venison is a great substitute too.