Ontario Indigenous-Style Bison Meatballs
with Blueberry BBQ Sauce & Red Rice Pilaf
Cooking time
45 minutes
Servings
2/4
Calories
900 /serving
To introduce home cooks to the flavours of Indigenous cuisine from the lands we now know as Ontario, we’re teaming up with celebrated Chef Joseph Shawana, who is Odawa, part of the Three Fires Confederacy, from Manitoulin Island. Lean, clean bison is his meat of choice, laid over a landscape of red rice textured with dried cranberries and walnuts.
We will send you:
- 250g Canadian-raised lean ground bison
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 14g Parsley
- 1 Onion (or shallot)
- 45ml BBQ sauce
- 1g Dried thyme
- 3g Smoked paprika
- 40g Breadcrumbs
- 25g Dried cranberries
- 140g Organic red rice
- 30ml Vegetable demi-glace
- 25g Chopped walnuts
- 32g Wild blueberries
Contains: Eggs • Mustard • Sulphites • Walnuts • Wheat
You will need:
Medium pan
Medium pot
Oil
Salt & pepper (S&P)
1 or 2 Eggs
Total Fat
38 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Sodium
550 mg
Total Carb
105 g
Sugars
24 g
Protein
37 g
Fibre
7 g
Preparation
Mise en place
- Mince the garlic.
- Halve, peel and mince the onion.
- Roughly chop the parsley leaves and stems.
Cook the rice
- In a medium pot, heat a drizzle of oil on medium.
- Add ½ the onion and ½ the garlic. Sauté, 1 to 2 min., until fragrant.
- Add the rice, demi-glace, 1 ½ cups water (double for 4 portions) and a big pinch of salt; bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat, cover and simmer, 35 to 40 min., until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed.
- Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 min. Drain any excess water if necessary. Fluff the rice.
Prepare the meatballs
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the bison, breadcrumbs, smoked paprika, thyme, remaining onion and garlic, 1 egg (double for 4 portions) and S&P.
- Form into 8 meatballs (double for 4 portions).
Cook & coat the meatballs
- In a medium pan, heat a drizzle of oil on medium-high.
- Add the meatballs* and cook, partially covered, turning occasionally, 8 to 10 min., until browned and cooked through.
- Add the BBQ sauce, blueberries (start with ⅔ for a less sweet flavour), ¼ cup water (double for 4 portions) and black pepper.
- Cook, spooning the sauce over the meatballs, 2 to 3 min., until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are coated.
Dress the rice
- To the pot of rice, add the walnuts, cranberries and ½ the parsley; stir well.
Plate your dish
- Divide the rice between your plates.
- Top with the meatballs and spoon any remaining sauce over.
- Garnish with the remaining parsley. Wiisindaa!
