Mini Bison Wellington
Second Place Winner in the Hors d'eouvres/Sandwiches Category of the 2011 Recipe Roundup.
Submitted By:
Hilary Ryan, Silver Stream Bison Farm
Ingredients:
- 1 2-3 lb bison roast (chuck or cross rib do fine)
- 1 package of phyllo pastry (frozen)
- 2 cups acidic fruit juice (pineapple, cranberry, orange, etc.)
- Fruit – one or two berries per serving (saskatoons, cranberries, etc.) (optional)
- Salt & Pepper/Greek seasoning/Montreal steak spice
- Cooking spray/butter/margarine to coat cookie sheet +/- the Bison Wellingtons
Preparation Time:
- 1 day thawing
- ½ - 1 hour slicing meat
- 1 –2 days marinating in fridge
- ½ - 1 hour wrapping meat in pastry
- ½ hour cooking
Instructions:
Pick a frozen roast and partially thaw it in the fridge (about 1 day). The meat will be much easier to slice when it’s partially frozen still. You’ll be putting it back in the fridge to thaw another day or two while it marinates, so get it out of the freezer at least 2 or 3 days before the meal day. Plan for 1 pound of roast to serve 6 – 8 people, depending on whether the roast has a bone in it (which will be discarded) or how generous a serving you want to make. Bison meat has very little fat, so there is much less waste than with beef or other meats. It is also denser than beef, therefore a smaller helping is just as filling.
With a very sharp knife, cut the partially thawed meat into thin slices (<1/4 “/ 3-5 mm if you can manage – the thinner the better). Some of it will fall apart into little pieces, that’s fine, keep it all. Throw away any fat or gristly bits. Put the slices into a container with a tight lid (I use an ice-cream pail, or a yogurt container if it’s a small roast). Pour an acidic juice over the meat until it’s covered. I like pineapple juice best, but I also like cranberry. I’ve never tried orange, but I think that should work, too. Put the container of meat and juice back in the fridge and let it sit for a day or two. Whenever you think of it, give the container a shake so that the juice gets to all the pieces of meat. (The meat’s colour will change from a deep red to brown – don’t worry about that, it’s going to get brown when it cooks anyway).
Buy a pack of frozen phyllo pastry. It’ll probably have 18 or 20 sheets of pastry. It needs to thaw in the fridge about a day, so take it out of the freezer a day before your meal.
