Week 28: It's Getting Chili Outside
Happy December everyone! The clock is ticking on the last few weeks of the 20-teens decade. Can you believe it?! By now, you have all noticed the farm offerings have become more hearty and comforting for our winter bodies: root veggies, hearty greens, cabbage, and winter squash. Our bodies will crave such warming foods all through the winter.
With our potential first snow arriving, we are diving into chili recipes! In some households, talking about chili recipes can be just as heated as a political debate. And you don’t have to be a member of the International Chili Society (yes it exists!) to think your family recipe is THE BEST! There are so many great versions of chili, no one is here to judge whether you add beans or not, unless you actually volunteer yourself for some chili competition judgement.
Here are some fantastic chili recipes that largely utilize Moutoux ingredients. Note, these recipes will be calling for ingredients preserved from the summer. If you didn’t take a dive into preservation this past summer, make it a goal to try next year!
TEXAS-STYLE CHILI CON CARNE
3 lbs ground beef
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
8 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup ground ancho chile powder
2 tsp ground cumin powder
1 pint (or 14.5 oz can) of pureed tomatoes
1 pint (or 14.5 oz can) of diced tomatoes, with their juices
1 chipotles en adobo, finely chopped
2 TBSP plus 1 tsp kosher salt
Black pepper to taste
Heat a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the meat, onions, garlic, ancho chile powder, and cumin powder and stir to combine and break the meat into small pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is well browned with no pink remaining, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes with juices, chipotles, and salt and reduce the heat to medium. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper and more salt as needed.
Note: Serves 8 to 10. Traditional Texas-style chili forbids adding beans or pasta in the recipe. Recipe courtesy of Amy Wisniewski of Chowhound https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/chili-con-carne-11372
CHILI VERDE
1-2 pints of tomatillo salsa (refer to recipe from Week 12)
2 lbs pork roast
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP butter
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Cut the pork roast into ½” by 1” pieces. Season well with salt and pepper
Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add 1 TBSP olive oil and the butter. Transfer half of the pork to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.
Add browned pork and any bits and juice to the slow cooker. Pour the tomatillo salsa on the pork and cover with the lid. Set slow cooker to high and cook for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
Notes: Serves 10. If you want more heat, throw some frozen/fresh chilis into the mix.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHILI
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 large butternut squash, peeled/seeded/cubed
~3 cups chopped bell peppers (frozen from summer works great here)
1 onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 pint (or 1 14 oz can) diced tomatoes
1 pint (or 14 oz can) tomato sauce
1 cup chicken or beef bone broth
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
3 TBSP coconut butter or coconut concentrate
Spice Mixture:
3 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cloves
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat up a large pot over medium-high heat with a tablespoon of some kind of fat. Add the beef and ground pork and let it brown. Cook for about 5-8 minutes.
While the meat is cooking, chop all your veggies and squash. I just cut my squash in random slices then chopped them. Easy peasy.
Once meat is cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
Add veggies and cook for about 5 minutes.
Now add your chicken stock, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and coconut milk to the pot. Mix together. Cover and cook until butternut squash is tender.
Add spices and beef/pork back to the pot. Stir to combine. Last, add coconut butter and mix thoroughly.
Decrease heat and let simmer to let all the flavors combine.
Notes: Recipe courtesy of Juli of Paleomg (https://paleomg.com/butternut-squash-curry-chili/)
WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
3 pounds chicken, thawed
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 jalapeños, stemmed and finely chopped (frozen works great here)
2 poblano chiles, stemmed/medium dice (frozen works great here)
1 red bell pepper, cored/seeded/medium dice (frozen works great here)
1 medium red onion, medium dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 medium limes)
Generously season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to crock pot with a splash of water and cook on low for ~8 hours or on high for ~4-6 hours. Remove chicken and pull meat from carcass and set aside. Freeze carcass.
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the jalapeños, poblanos, bell pepper, and onion to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pot and stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, cumin, measured salt, and chili powder, stir to coat the vegetables, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the broth and beans and stir to combine.
Using a potato masher, lightly mash about half of the beans and vegetables, leaving the remaining half intact. Stir in the shredded chicken and lime juice, cooking until all warmed to temperature and flavors meld (~10 minutes).
Serve with the cheese, cilantro, and scallions on the side.
Notes: Chicken can be made a day in advance of the chili.
