Bison Meat Sauce

The resulting meat was moist and tender. The smallest amount of bacon fat was key.

Bison.

...

"Did you taste it?"

"Yeah."

"How is it?"

"It's good."

I pulled a small piece of meat from the colander. "Mmmm. This is good."

...

It's very lean, I remember her saying.

...

"Bring fruit salad." She said.

Our introduction to bison came about four years ago at my mothers home on the banks of the Susquehanna. A Mother's Day cookout with all the usual fair: mom's cole slaw; aunt Terri's deviled eggs; uncle Mark's crab dip; and the list goes on and on.

"I can really taste the quality." Said my cousin John as he speared fresh strawberries and grapes using plastic picnic ware.

"Ha. Ha." I said.

Mom brought a tray of partially charred hotdogs and bison burgers to the picnic table. I began assembling my plate. Hamburger role. Bison burger. Tomato. Onion. Mustard. Ketchup. Mom's cole slaw. Aunt Terri's deviled eggs. Uncle Mark's crab dip. Fruit salad.

Roberto followed suit, as much as his Italian upbringing allowed. The Italians don't go for mayonaise-based salads so much.

Once seated, I closed the bun and after a few bites of bread and condiment (the burger had reduced in size by at least a third above the hot coals) I bit into bison and found myself pleasantly surprised. Eager for seconds.

...

Roberto readied the mise: olive oil; butter; bacon; ground bison; carrot; celery; onion; garlic; crushed red pepper; red wine; tomatoes; tomato paste; parsley; and cream.

"Let's use the De Cecco egg fettucine." I said

Roberto nodded in agreement. Picking the right cut was important. I had nailed it.

Finally...We've waited so long to use you. My body stretched skyward, tippy-toes and all, to retrieve the box.

"8.8 ounces? I always thought it was a pound." I said while ripping open the package.

...

"Taste it." He said.

"Oh, this is so good. A pioneer's meat sauce." I said. "Can I drop the pasta?"

"Yes." He said.

...

Roberto plated. A hearty mound of egg fettucine dressed in sauce, then kissed with just a bit more, was finished with a sprinkling of green onion and Paremsan.

"This is delicious." I said. "Do you like it?" I asked.

Roberto looked up, his mouth full. "Mmmm hmmm." He said.

The steam wafted as I sat hunched over my bowl. I twirled another mess of noodles. "Mmmm."

Roberto rose for seconds. "There's plenty more were that came from." He said.