Tomatoless Chipotle Chili

Here's the recipe for the chili I made for tonight's Cleveland Social Media Club get-together. I've made minor modifications from the original (which used beef and was double this size) and it's become a standard of ours.

Olive oil
1 1/2 pounds pork loin, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large jalapeno, seeded, diced
salt
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 bottle (12 oz) dark beer, preferably a microbrewed American stout
1 tablespoon pure chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 large buttercup or butternut squash, halved, seeded
1 or 2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, with some of the sauce
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can (15 oz) hominy, drained & rinsed
Sour cream & chopped green onions for garnish

1. Heat oil in dutch oven or heavy kettle over high heat. Brown pork, half at a time, adding oil as needed. Transfer to bowl.

2. Lower heat to medium-high, add oil to pan and stir in onion, garlic and jalapenos. Season wtih salt. Saute until softened, 5 -10 minutes. Return pork to pan with juices. Add broth, beer, chili powder, haf the cumin and half the oregano. Heat to boil, then reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until meat is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The simmer should be very low to avoid drying it out; add water if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Halve and seed squash; lay cut side down on baking sheet. Bake until very soft, about 1 hour. Cool, then scrape out flesh and mash coarsely.

4. Add squash puree and remaining cumin and oregano to pot; simmer 15 minutes. Add water if necessary to keep mixture moist. Chop chipotles, stir half of them into pot with their sauce. Add black beans and hominy; simmer 10-15 minutes longer. Chili should be stewlike rather than soupy. Taste; add the rest of the chipotles and more salt if desired. Serve in bowls garnished with sour cream and green onions.

The result is so thick it'll almost stand up on its own. Since it's full of chili spices, you'd never know this stuff has no tomatoes.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Jeff,

    Your chili was terrific last night! Thanks for sharing the recipe. It was great meeting you.

    Stephanie

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  2. Hey thanks! I'm going to post a link from the SMC site with some notes.

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  3. Just read that you made the Tomatoless Chili. It was excellent!!! Thanks.

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  4. Thanks Rick! Try making it with the modifications I suggested on my Cleveland SMC page - specifically I really think it needs a dense stout.

    BTW, I clicked through to your profile - I've come across Nine Sigma a few times, very interesting organization.

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