Herb & Wild Berry Elk Rack Pairs With Nk’Mip Pinot Noir
As it’s National Indigenous Peoples’ Day on June 21, so we thought we’d feature this recipe from Mr. Bannock, from the Squamish Nation, who has an Indigenous food truck that we’ve been meaning to get to! Recommended pairing is the Nk’Mip Pinot Noir. The recipes were created in partnership with Nk’Mip Cellars, Canada’s first Indigenous-owned winery.
Herb & Wild Berry Elk
2 elk racks (about 300-325g each)
1 pint blueberries
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blackberries
Fresh thyme
Fresh sage
Salt and pepper
Corn (or vegetable) oil
NK’MIP Pinot Noir
Sliver 4 leaves of sage and put aside 4 sprigs of thyme.
With a mixing bowl, add the blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.
Add 2 tablespoons of corn oil to the bowl and mix with your hands until the berries are lightly crushed.
Taste the berry marinade and adjust the seasonings (you can add a little bit of sugar if needed).
Put the elk racks into the bowl and massage the berry marinade into the meat, add a splash or 2 of NK’MIP pinot noir and let sit in the fridge for minimum 30 minutes – note the longer the better.
Heat up the grill and spray with oil so the meat will not stick, take the meat out of the marinade and season with salt and pepper.
Cook 3-5 mins per side. (Chef Note – I love mine medium rare, so cook until your desired doneness. Make sure you let your meat rest after it is cooked)
Enjoy with your favourite sides, today we enjoyed ours with smashed sweet potato, grilled corn and fry bread!!
Share your pictures and don’t forget to tag @mrbannockfood @nkmipcellars @hillsfoods
#mrbannockfood, #npkim #hillsfood #summer #grill #indigenouscuisine
About Paul Natrall of Mr Bannock Indigenous Cuisine & the recipe..
My name is Paul Natrall, I am a second-generation chef from the Squamish Nation and owner/operator of Vancouver’s first Indigenous food truck, Mr Bannock. I’ve created this Herb and Wild Berry Elk Rack as it is a special dish that reminds me of my childhood and my family.
As a young kid, my grandmother used to take us berry picking in the summer time. After a fun day, we would come home with stained hands, traces of berries on our mouth and ice cream buckets filled to the very top with the local blackberries to enjoy.
We would use the berries for several different things…enjoying them fresh, frozen, with ice cream, in Jell-O, in our juices and of course, my gran’s favourite…blackberry cake with vanilla ice cream.
My uncle was a hunter and would often go with other relatives of mine to hunt. They would always come home with some type of wild meat, such as elk, deer or moose. Absolutely nothing went to waste and we would enjoy the meats in a variety of ways. Different types of cuts allowed us to enjoy roasts, chops, ground meats, stews, stir fry’s and even pepperoni. The meat would also be turned into everyday meals like steak and eggs, spaghetti, chow Mein and shepherd’s pie.
Now, as a trained chef and knowledgeable about my cuisine, I look back at my youth and how accessible this food was and think, “damn, we used to have it good”. Today, the cost of these ingredients has gone up significantly but for me, it’s important to honour my family and continue to show how diverse and exciting Indigenous cuisine can be.
My grandmother is now with the rest of my ancestors, and I will cherish the knowledge and valuable time I spent with her in the kitchen as it is the base of my creations today and where I was inspired about food. I am thankful to forever have these wonderful memories.
