#new native kitchen

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RECIPE: Chocolate Bison Chili (from New Native Kitchen by Chef Freddie Bitsoie & James O. Fraioli)

Chocolate has a long, sacred history in Indigenous recipes beginning with the Mayans, Aztecs, and other communities of the Yucatán Peninsula, where cacao beans have always grown wild. Cacao has been integral to Indigenous ceremony and cuisine—from drinks to mole sauces and spice rubs. In 2000, the Chickasaw Nation became the only Native American community to create its own brand of artisanal chocolate; I had the pleasure of visiting Bedré Fine Chocolate several years ago and witnessed firsthand how the company instills their cultural passion into every delicious morsel. This recipe draws on ancient tradition to create a spicy, savory, herbaceous chili with a hint of that bittersweet goodness. This is the kind of fabulous-tasting chili that your friends will remember—and ask you to make again and again.

Serves 6 to 8

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 pound (455 g) ground bison

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (14-ounce/420 ml) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 (14-ounce/400 g) can kidney beans

3 cups (720 ml) bison or beef stock

1¼ cups (225 g) semisweet chocolate chips

In a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Sauté until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the bison, season with salt and pepper, and sear the meat while breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook for about 8 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and allow the paste to brown but not burn. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, and diced tomatoes. Use the juice of the diced tomatoes to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add the beans and stock and bring to a boil. Note: Do not boil hard or for too long or the beans will tear apart. Allow to boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and simmer. Add the chocolate and allow the chili to reduce until it reaches a nice stew consistency. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, then stir to make sure the melted chocolate is evenly distributed.

Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf, and serve immediately. This chili can be refrigerated for three to four days or frozen for four to six months.

Modern Indigenous cuisine from the renowned Native foods educator and former chef of Mitsitam Native Foods Café at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

From Freddie Bitsoie, the former executive chef at Mitsitam Native Foods Café at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and James Beard Award–winning author James O. Fraioli, New Native Kitchen is a celebration of Indigenous cuisine. Accompanied by original artwork by Gabriella Trujillo and offering delicious dishes like Cherrystone Clam Soup from the Northeastern Wampanoag and Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin from the Pueblo peoples, Bitsoie showcases the variety of flavor and culinary history on offer from coast to coast, providing modern interpretations of 100 recipes that have long fed this country.

Recipes like Chocolate Bison Chili, Prickly Pear Sweet Pork Chops, and Sumac Seared Trout with Onion and Bacon Sauce combine the old with the new, holding fast to traditions while also experimenting with modern methods. In this essential cookbook, Bitsoie shares his expertise and culinary insights into Native American cooking and suggests new approaches for every home cook. With recipes as varied as the peoples that inspired them, New Native Kitchen celebrates the Indigenous heritage of American cuisine.

RECIPE: Braised Bison Short Ribs (from New Native Kitchen by Chef Freddie Bitsoie & James O. Fraioli) 

Braised short ribs are one of my favorite comfort foods, so I couldn’t help but include two recipes for them. This heartier, thicker, wintrier version feels a bit more rustic than the Sumac-Braised Ribs earlier in this chapter. These also cook a bit longer to allow for the leaner bison, which sometimes needs more time to tenderize. The easiest place to find bone-in bison ribs is from your local butcher. You may have to pre-order, but the wait will be well worth it. In early Indigenous recipes, centuries before stovetop searing and oven slow-cooking were possible, this would’ve been a stewed meat recipe. But braising is now as common a technique in Native American households as anywhere else; and after the first time you make these ribs, you’ll know why.

¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil

8 bone-in bison (or beef) short ribs, about

7 pounds (3.4 kg)

2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

5 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups (480 ml) dry red wine, optional

2 quarts (2 L) beef stock, or more as needed

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a Dutch oven over high heat, add the oil. While the oil is heating, dredge the beef in the flour, shaking off the excess. Add the ribs to the hot oil. Sear all sides of the meat. Once browned, remove, and set aside. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion, carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper. Sweat the vegetables until the onions are soft and begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Clear a space in the middle of the vegetables and add the tomato paste directly to the hot surface of the pot. Allow the paste to brown and form a crust (takes about 2 minutes; be careful not to burn the paste). Then add the wine (if using) to deglaze the pot and stir so the paste is incorporated into the vegetables. Allow the wine to evaporate completely. If you’re not using the wine, deglaze the pot with some of the beef stock, scraping up any bits stuck to bottom of pot. Add the beef stock to the pot, ensuring the vegetables are just covered. Add more stock if necessary. Return the seared ribs to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat, cover, and place in the preheated oven. Braise for 2½ hours.

After 2½ hours, remove the ribs from the sauce and set aside. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves and transfer the contents of the pot to a blender (caution: the liquid will be hot). Puree for 5 minutes or until smooth. Return the blended contents back to the pot and add the ribs. Return to medium heat and let the sauce and ribs reheat. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary, and serve immediately once the ribs and sauce are hot.

Modern Indigenous cuisine from the renowned Native foods educator and former chef of Mitsitam Native Foods Café at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

From Freddie Bitsoie, the former executive chef at Mitsitam Native Foods Café at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and James Beard Award–winning author James O. Fraioli, New Native Kitchen is a celebration of Indigenous cuisine. Accompanied by original artwork by Gabriella Trujillo and offering delicious dishes like Cherrystone Clam Soup from the Northeastern Wampanoag and Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin from the Pueblo peoples, Bitsoie showcases the variety of flavor and culinary history on offer from coast to coast, providing modern interpretations of 100 recipes that have long fed this country.

Recipes like Chocolate Bison Chili, Prickly Pear Sweet Pork Chops, and Sumac Seared Trout with Onion and Bacon Sauce combine the old with the new, holding fast to traditions while also experimenting with modern methods. In this essential cookbook, Bitsoie shares his expertise and culinary insights into Native American cooking and suggests new approaches for every home cook. With recipes as varied as the peoples that inspired them, New Native Kitchen celebrates the Indigenous heritage of American cuisine.