Fall Pumpkin Chili

AS I HAVE REVEALED IN THE PAST, I get my recipes from about anywhere, and sometimes they arrive rather unexpectedly. I tried a new recipe this week and was thoroughly surprised and impressed with the flavor enhancement that this unusual ingredient added, and this time it isn’t cottage cheese! It is pumpkin puree.

I’ll share it with you in the recipe below.

I love my proven soups and chilis, but I’m always open to new tweaks, flavorings, and ingredients. This recipe falls into my new and improved category that seems to be part and parcel of my culinary life. Perhaps, pumpkin puree in chili is a bit off the wall, but I was game to give it a try.

I’m thinking my culinary approaches have lineage from my former work life, where I worked in a business environment of “continuous improvement.” This mindset can certainly work in one’s kitchen, and this came to me today in this unique recipe. A beef and bean chili with, of all things, a cup of pumpkin puree. I’m still reeling from the inclusion. It added a smooth and creamy profile to the chili that I liked very much.

Bob’s Fall Pumpkin Chili

I had a pound plus of cubed stew meat (chuck) that I halved again into ¾” bite-size cubes. I combined them with two medium chopped yellow onions, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, and I sauteed them in hot olive oil in my Dutch oven soup pan for seven minutes as they seared to a nice brown color.

Next, I add 32 oz. of tomato juice and add a 14.5-oz can of chopped tomatoes with green chilis to completely cover the browned cubes of beef and onions. Then I slow-boil, uncovered for 2 hours. It should be reduced by about half.

Add

32 oz. of beef stock, 2 finally chopped celery stalks, 2-3 chopped carrots, 2 thinly sliced jalapenos, and 1 each of chopped red and green pepper. 2 TBS Chili powder, 1 TBS Cumin, 1 tsp cayenne pepper. This simmers for an hour.

Finally, I add one can 14.5 oz. of great northern beans and one can 14.5 oz red kidney beans. Then the featured ingredient, 1 cup of pumpkin puree, is blended into the chili. In fifteen minutes, this is ready to be served, offering a delicious bowl of pumpkin chili.

Top with slices of avocado, a squeeze of fresh lime, and chopped Cilantro or green onions.

Hey, it's chili season. Be brave.