I got in touch with my roots and made this chili recipe from Chatelaine Magazine for dinner last night. Chatelaine is a Canadian publication that's been around since 1928 and along with the Winnipeg Free Press, it was the only thing that got me running to the mail box as a kid in high anticipation. I hated going to the mail box. Although it was just at the end of our driveway on a dusty gravel road, there were BUGS out there, and army worms, and shad flies, and bats, and bees and all manner of creepy crawlies that put terror into my soul. That old lady "Fate" is likely laughing her butt off seeing as I now live in the land of humongous creepy crawlies, slithering snakes and africanized killer bees.
Not unlike a Santa Fe Stew that I shared with you some time ago, this one has apples, pork and cinnamon to give this chili it's Fall flavors, and chipotle imparts some definite heat. The addition of butternut squash and black beans increases the fibre content and helps control some of the inferno, although I have to admit that a "dollop of Daisy" did the best job in that respect. Don't be afraid of it though - you're absolutely in control of how spicy you want to make it.
As you can imagine, I had to add my personal touch to make this recipe my own - I dusted the pork cubes in flour and browned it well from the get go. As well I added some fire roasted diced tomatoes along with chicken stock too. Of course I made the chili in my trusty fire engine red oval cast iron pot, but you could certainly adapt this recipe to a slow cooker by leaving out the chicken stock.
No matter how ya' cook it, it's a keeper - kinda' sweet, definitely spicy and well worth coming home to on a crisp autumn night. By the way, this would be perfect for a Halloween night dinner as it has all the colors required never mind lots of garlic to ward off the gouls and vampires. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Chunky Autumn Chili (adapted from Chatelaine Magazine)
3 pounds pork shoulder or boneless country style ribs
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped (add more if you want more heat)
2 apples, peeled and cored and cut into half inch pieces
2 large tomatoes, diced into half inch pieces
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 14.5 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock (or more as required)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 green pepper, large dice
2 cans black beans, drained, rinsed and drained again
Chopped cilantro
Sour cream
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Cut pork shoulder or boneless country style ribs into 1-1/2 inch cubes. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Brown in batches in hot oil being careful not to crowd the pan. Remove when well browned and set aside. Lower heat to medium and add onion, garlic and chipotle. Sauté until onions are soft, stirring often and scraping fond (browned bits) from bottom of the pot. Add apples, chopped fresh tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon and pepper. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and canned tomatoes. Add browned meat, bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer, cover pot and cook stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook for 1 hour or until meat is just tender. Add squash and green pepper. Cover pot and cook for 25 minutes or until squash is tender. Add black beans, cover pot and cook for a few minutes until beans are heated through. Serve in bowls and garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serves 6 to 8. Download Chunky Autumn Chili
Hint - for lower carbs, reduce the apples and tomatoes to 1 each and use only 1 can of black beans
First of all, I'm never going to my mailbox again.
Secondly that chili looks freakin' awesome! (I get all glassy-eyed when I see a recipe that calls for chipotle in adobo sauce...LOL)
Posted by: Mags | 10/20/2010 at 03:46 PM
Mags - I figured if the chipotle didn't get ya' the squash and black beans would!
Posted by: June | 10/20/2010 at 03:51 PM
The first person I thought of when I saw this was Mags hahahaha THE fiber lady! Looks lovely - I will surely make this without the fruit of death! It will be fabulous!
Posted by: Nanan | 10/21/2010 at 08:11 AM
Lea - Mags, the fiber lady. Isn't that true? By the way, I got the gears yesterday from the big guy for spelling fiber the Canadian way (fibre) and he's BUGGING me to make your onion garlic jam so guess what we're doing this weekend!
Posted by: June | 10/21/2010 at 08:24 AM