Taming the Pantry with Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup

I recently found myself with an overabundance of butternut squash.  We made ravioli one weekend, but I still had 3 squash left. When I mentioned my plight to a friend, she suggested a white bean and butternut squash soup.  This sounded perfect as it solved two problems for me; I also had a pack of Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye Beans from my trip to San Francisco that kept attacking me every time I opened the pantry.

When I initially bought the beans, I thought they were related to black-eyed peas. After a little research, I learned that they are a cousin of the white bean and can be used as a creamier replacement for Navy or Great Northern beans. Perfect!

I added turnips to the soup balance out the richness of the squash and chose rosemary as the herb, inspired by a black-eyed pea dish seasoned with rosemary that my friend Zack made for a New Year's dinner. If you'd like to add a touch of green to the soup, Spinach or Kale would make a nice addition.

This recipe makes an enormous batch of soup, about 10 servings. I froze it and have been eating it for lunch with a side salad. It reheats nicely and is delicious!

White Bean and Butternut Squash Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks or 1 onion - peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 large turnips, peeled and chopped
2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
16 oz dried white beans or substitute (like Yellow Eye Beans), soaked over night and drained (if you are substituting with canned beans, use 3 cans of drained beans)
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
2 tbsps fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the other vegetables and saute for another 5 minutes to sweat the vegetables and let the flavors come out.

Add the beans and 1.5 quarts of the stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Cover and let the soup simmer for about an hour, adding stock as needed. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper and cook for another 15 minutes.

I garnished with a little extra fresh rosemary, but I would skip this step if you don't like a strong rosemary flavor.

Dining Out Sustainably: Cipollina

Cipollina, a casual bistro in Clarkesville, is the younger sister to Jeffrey's, that icon of Austin restaurants, located across the street.  Cipollina serves high quality sandwiches, pizzas and entrees to hungry neighbors.  

A few years ago, Cipollina began hosting a Farm to Table dinner on Wednesday nights featuring locally-sourced dishes.  Now, you can find locally grown and produced ingredients on the menu any day of the week.  

I recently visited Cipollina for the Slow Food Austin Happy Hour.  If you aren't familiar with Slow Food Austin, the organization focuses on reconnecting people with their food and encouraging people to take the time to cook rather than buying processed food.  They host farm tours, monthly Slow Sessions highlighting a different facet of cooking or food, and Happy Hours for socializing and supporting local restaurants who source local.  It's a great organization.

Our table ordered a couple of appetizers to nibble on - a local Brazos Valley Brie and a Countryside Farm duck liver pate. The pate by itself had a strong liver flavor, but when you combined it with the brie or the pickled tomatoes garnish, it was much more enjoyable. 

Eventually, we could not resist the temptation of the pizza aroma wafting from the kitchen and decided to split a few salads and a pepperoni pizza.  The pizza has a crunchy hand-tossed crust and a luscious homemade tomato sauce, but the pepperoni was the star of the show.  Made locally from Richardson Farms pork, the pepperoni was outstanding with a little sweetness and a nice spiciness.   

I was reminded that Cipollina is an easy sustainable choice.  It's the perfect place to visit with friends in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying an affordable, delicious, locally-sourced meal.  

Dining Out Sustainably: Wink Restaurant

Wink Restaurant, located at 10th & Lamar, is one of the flagship restaurants for sustainable dining in Austin.  Since its inception, it has focused on working with locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible and has built relationships with a wide variety of farms across Central Texas.  The list of local purveyors at the bottom of the menu reads like a Who's Who of Central Texas farms.

Wink's goal is to bring out the best in those local ingredients in an innovative way.  The menu changes daily, guaranteeing that each dish offers the best of what was available that day.

Recently, a few friends and I met up for a casual dinner in the Wine Bar to put the gift certificate I was given over the holidays a good workout.  If you haven't planned ahead, the Wine Bar is an easy alternative to the dining room, which is often booked on the weekends.

We started off the evening with a few items from the Bar Apps menu - Mac N' Cheese with Black Truffles and Chicken Liver Pate.  The Mac N' Cheese was some of the best I have ever tasted, creamy and luscious with the black truffles shaved on top giving it an even deeper flavor.  The Chicken Liver Pate was smooth and lovely with a rich, but not livery, flavor.

For dinner, we split the Seared Foie Gras, Gulf Pompano and the Bison NY Strip.  Before you start drafting a protest e-mail, the Foie Gras is from birds from Countryside Farm and is raised naturally and humanely.  And, it was delicious - literally melting in your mouth with its richness.


The Pompano had a delightful grain butter mustard sauce on top and was complimented nicely by the potatoes and celery.  The Bison NY Strip, from Thunderheart Bison, was fantastic - perfectly cooked at medium rare, tender and packed with flavor.

After dinner we compared notes and found it difficult to pick a favorite dish.  Wink offered too many tantalizing goodies to narrow it down to just one.

I encourage you to tempt your taste buds at Wink.  It's worth the splurge and you can feel good about every delicious, locally-sourced bite.

A Chicken For Every Pot: Ringger Family Farms selling Stewing Chickens

I love the aroma of a chicken stock simmering away on the stove.  It brings the promise of a delicious, rich soup or maybe tasty enchiladas made from the stewed meat.

Ringger Family Farm can help you in your quest for a great homemade chicken soup.  For $10 each, you can buy a 3-4 pound hens that was pasture raised and is hormone, antibiotic and chemical-free .

To order your stewing hens, e-mail ringgerfarm@gmail.com or call 512-923-2053.  Don't forget to ask about their free delivery in the east or central Austin area for orders of 10 or more hens.

Better start digging through my chicken soup recipes!

Market Update: A New Home & New Vendors at the Downtown Market

If the first few weeks of 2010 are any indication, this year is going to be about big meaningful change.  You can see that change in action this weekend at the Downtown Austin Farmers Market as the market moves into the park at Republic Square.  

The park has served as the northern border of the market since the market started, but now it will be the market's home.  So why is this a big deal?  The park is bigger so the market can have more vendors.  And, because the market is no longer on the street, we don't have to navigate around the abandoned cars from the Warehouse District revelers who, responsibly, didn't drive home the night before.  Not to mention how much cooler it will be in the park than on the pavement on those sweltering summer days.

The thing I'm most excited about is the new vendors.  The market started expanding last fall by adding Dai Due, serving breakfast and lunch and selling charcuterie, delicious sausages and condiments.  If you haven't had the biscuit, sausage and gravy for breakfast yet, do yourself a favor and try it this week.

Last week, Kocurek Family Charcuterie joined the mix (because honestly you can never have enough charcuterie) with their own delicious meat and pantry items.  The duck bacon and spicy Italian sausage are scrumptious!

I almost cried when I saw the Way Back When Dairy (formerly Remember When Dairy) booth. I have missed them!  I got so used to drinking their delicious, low-heat pasteurized milk and was crestfallen when they stopped coming to the market to resolve partnership issues.  Grocery store milk, even the organic variety, isn't even close.

This week promises even more fun because there are many festivities planned for the christening of the market in the park including two different chef demos and games for the kids.  While I love a good party, I'm most excited about the arrival of two of my favorite farms at the Downtown market - Bella Verdi Farms and Full Quiver are joining the mix!  Woo hoo!

Bella Verdi Farms grows beautiful lettuces, herbs and microgreens.  Their lettuces are big beautiful lush greens and I love playing with the microgreen mixes.  You may be familiar with Bella Verdi from the Dripping Springs Market last summer, Central Market or the many restaurants who use their greens around town.  Their booth will definitely be worth a visit.

I'm equally excited about Full Quiver's arrival.  I frequently buy their delicious cheeses and pork at the Sunset Valley market and am delighted that they will be Downtown.  They are some of the highest quality products I have tasted and are clearly handled with love and care by the Sams family.

If you've skipped the market the last few weeks because of weather, you are seriously missing out.  So, see you at the market!

Living Local: Learning Flexibility

A friend of mine asked me recently what the biggest change was for me since I started primarily shopping local. After thinking about it, I decided it was that I had to become flexible in my cooking. That might not be a big leap for you, but I can be a bit, um, intense in my projects and flexibility isn't always the first word you would think of to describe me. (All of my friends reading this can stop laughing and/or nodding your heads now.)

I used to pick recipes for the week, make a detailed list of what I needed and head to the grocery store. I tried to use that same strategy when I switched to shopping at the markets, but it didn't work. I might pick a recipe with asparagus in it because there was asparagus at the market the week before, but this week - no asparagus. I guess I could have gone to Central Market to get the asparagus, but that's not how I wanted to do things.

Instead, I've learned to go to the market, buy what looks appealing and then find a recipe for it. Sometimes I go with a recipe in mind, like when I made paella, but I knew the ingredients were in season and would be there.

I was reminded of all this on Saturday when I accompanied my friend Heather to the Sunset Valley Farmers Market. Heather wanted to make beef bourguignon so we set out for the ingredients. First, we visited the meat vendors. No one had the stew meat she wanted so instead she ended up with steak - more expensive, but it would be delicious. Then we went to find the mushrooms. It turned out we should have bought the mushrooms first because by the time we got there (we had seen the booth earlier), they were sold out. Ugh.

Heather got lots of other goodies including Kocurek sausage and Meyer lemons, but she was going to have to head to H-E-B to get the mushrooms - not a bad thing, just not what she'd intended.

It's funny because eating what's in season has not just changed my habits, but also my palate.  I used to buy tomatoes every time I went to the grocery store.  Now, I don't even want to eat them if they aren't in season.  They don't taste good to me at all.  Instead, in the winter I am excited about radishes and turnips that I know I won't be able to get in August.

If you are thinking about making the switch to Living Local, I encourage you to find your flexible side.  Be open to trying new things, going with the flow of the market, looking for substitutions and being creative.  Most importantly, be willing to set some of your old favorites to the side and make room for some new favorites.

See you at the market!

Dining Out Sustainably: Perla's

I love seafood, but it's become a bit of a mine field to order out and try to be a responsible diner.  iPhone apps like Seafood Watch help, but I still always fret about what I'm ordering - is it on the red list of things to avoid or is it a green safe choice.  It's enough to wear a person out.  Luckily, a number of local seafood restaurants are working with San Miguel Seafood and other vendors who are bringing up seafood from the Gulf and, thank goodness, it's guilt free.

Imagine my delight when I heard that Perla's Seafood & Oyster Bar was serving Texas seafood.  I have always enjoyed Lambert's, Perla's sister restaurant, and couldn't wait to try out this new venue that was picked by Esquire Magazine as one of America's Best Restaurants.

Perla's feels like a restaurant on the beach.  Sitting on the deck under the festive umbrellas, I felt like I should be looking out over the ocean, not S. Congress Ave.

The menu is classic seafood with a twist. We couldn't resist the Cold Bar and ordered a half dozen oysters - a mixture that included some Texas Gulf.  They were delicious and a great way to start the meal.

For dinner, my dining partner ordered the Grouper, which was light and perfectly cooked. She was very pleased with how moist, flavorful and flaky the fish was.  I ordered the Texas Bouillabaise and it was a great twist on the French classic.  Each bite of seafood popped with the flavor of the saffron broth.  It was the perfect foil for a cool evening out on the deck.

On another visit, I split a Soft Shell Crab BLT with a friend and I can honestly tell you it is one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten.  The crab and the bacon flavors just melt together with the bread and it was everything we could do not to lick our fingers (we were at Perla's after all; not the crab shack).

I've also heard great things about the Lobster Roll, but haven't had a chance to try it.  Guess I'm going to have to go back to Perla's soon for my seafood fix.

Maybe I'll see you on the deck lounging under one of the umbrellas.

Rookie Mistakes & Luscious Butternut Squash Ravioli

When I first started cooking, I had no clue what I was doing.  I often think back on all the bonehead mistakes I've made in the kitchen and just giggle.  What  a dork!  One of the recurring themes in my repertoire of goofiness is being overly ambitious in my menu choices for dinner parties.

One year I was given a ravioli press for Christmas. Like a true rookie, I promptly planned a dinner party for 15 people featuring ravioli.

I did not know what hard work it was to make ravioli from scratch – no food processor, no pasta machine - and could barely lift my arms by the end of the night. Fortunately, one of my friends who enjoyed the dinner took mercy on me and bought me a pasta machine for my birthday. Now I can make pasta anytime without all of the pain and tears.

If you don’t have a pasta machine or press, you can make ravioli the old fashioned way by rolling the dough out by hand and cutting the squares with a pizza cutter, sharp knife or biscuit cutter. If you are going to roll the dough by hand, I recommend having a sous chef (extra set of arms nearby) in case you get tuckered out.

This ravioli recipe was inspired by the abundance of Butternut Squash in my Farmhouse Delivery box. The squash is sweet so I recommend serving this as a small second course or a side dish to a nice savory meat dish.

Butternut Squash Ravioli
For the pasta dough:
2 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. water
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt

For the ravioli:
2 butternut squash
1 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons minced shallots
Salt
pepper
about ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tsp grated nutmeg

For the sage butter sauce:
8 tbsps butter
6 fresh sage leaves

To make the pasta dough:
In a food processor, combine 1 cup flour and rest of ingredients with mixer on low speed. Mix about 2 minutes with spoon; slowly add in enough flour to make a soft dough (it should ball up in the food processor bowl).

Remove the dough and knead for about 2-3 minutes until smooth and not sticky, adding more flour is necessary. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Using a pasta machine or rolling pin, roll out the dough in sheets to the desired thickness.

If you haven’t used a pasta machine before, you roll the dough through several times, first on the thickest setting and then moving the dial to a thinner setting each time. I typically roll mine through to the third setting, you want the dough to be thick enough that it doesn’t fall apart when you try to stuff it. Flour the machine each time before you roll the dough through so that it doesn’t stick.

Place the sheets to the side on a floured surface until you are ready to use them.

To make the squash filling: 
Slice the Butternut Squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Place the squash face (cut-side) up in the pan and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Bake the squash in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour until tender. Remove the squash from the oven and set it to the side to cool so that you can handle it.

Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the shallots and sauté for 1 minute. Add the squash and cook until the mixture is dry, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in ¼ cup of parmesan, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set the mixture aside to let it cool.

To assemble the ravioli: 
If you have a ravioli press, flour the press, then lay a sheet of pasta on top of the press.

Press the top of the press down lightly to make an indentation and then fill each square with filling.

Top the ravioli with another sheet of pasta and roll a rolling pin across the top. Turn the ravioli press over to remove the pasta and then repeat. Remember to flour the press each time so the pasta doesn’t stick.

If you don’t have a ravioli press, then lay a sheet of pasta down on a floured surface and place a spoonful of the filling about an inch from the edge and then repeat about every two inches. Place another sheet of pasta on top and then use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the ravioli into squares. If you are using a biscuit cutter, you will want to test the dimensions on one sheet and then space accordingly.

Add the pasta to a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t overcook the pasta – it’s going to be done quickly!

Scoop the ravioli out of the pot into a colander to drain. Don’t dump the ravioli into the calendar like you do spaghetti or they will fall apart.

To make the sauce: 
In a sauté pan, melt 8 tablespoons of butter. Add the sage to the butter and continue to cook until the butter starts to brown. Remove from the heat.

Plate a serving of the pasta on each dish and spoon a small amount of the butter sauce over the top. Sprinkle parmesan over the top and serve.

Living Local: A Farm on Your Doorstep - Joining a CSA

When I returned from the holidays, the veggie crisper was BARE.  Luckily, my Farmhouse Delivery box was scheduled for the next day.  Phew!

I joined the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) back in October and have found it an invaluable way to keep fresh fruits and veggies in abundant supply.  With a CSA, you typically commit for a season, sometimes up to a year, for a weekly or bi-weekly delivery that costs between $25-$40 depending on the farm.

I was a little concerned when I joined that I might not be as motivated to go to the farmers markets, but I've been using my market time to shop for things I use daily (like radishes), meats, cheeses and other staples.  The CSA has also taken the pressure off of feeling like I have to make it to the market.  If, like this last weekend, I miss the market, then I still have plenty of veggies for the week.

I also find my delivery pushes me to cook things that I might not normally buy.  Like most people, I have a tendency to buy my favorites and not mix it up a lot.  When something arrives in the CSA delivery, I feel motivated to cook it even if it means some research. After all, I had never eaten beets before I joined my first CSA, and now I love them.

If you, like many of my friends, are trying to eat more fresh, local produce, I highly recommend joining a CSA. Following is a list of some of the CSAs in the Central Texas area.  Please post a comment if you know of other CSAs in the area so we can create a more inclusive list.

Farmhouse Delivery
Finca Pura Vida
GreenGate Farms
Hairston Creek Farm
Johnson's Backyard Garden
Milberg Farm
Tecolote Farm
Urban Roots
Walnut Creek Organic Farms

Now, go eat something local!

Dining Out Sustainably: Counter Cafe

I love a good burger, but I rarely eat them when I go out because I often find myself disappointed - it's either too dry, flavorless or the bun completely overwhelms the meat.  I usually don't finish the burger and am bummed that I wasted the calories on something that wasn't worth it.

When Texas Monthly picked Counter Cafe as one of the 50 Best Burgers in Texas, I decided I should give it a shot.  After all, any diner with the tag line "Local Food, Global Love" is worth a try.

My friend Melissa and I met early for lunch and were immediately wooed by the menu.  Counter Cafe offers breakfast or lunch from 8 am to 4 pm everyday.  I love to order breakfast for lunch and was seriously tempted by the Counter Benedict or Egg Sandwich, but I was on a mission and it was the Counter Burger for me. Luckily, Melissa, despite being tempted by the Pimiento Cheese Sandwich, was willing to order the Counter Benedict, so I still got to try a bite of breakfast.

Everything was delicious.  The burger was juicy and flavorful and the bun complemented it perfectly - not too much bread and not too little.  Texas Monthly definitely got this one right.

And, as much as I loved the burger, I really loved the sweet potato fries that came with it.  They were crunchy!  I know it sounds odd for me to focus on that aspect,  but usually sweet potato fries come out more like home fries and don't have the crunch appeal of a french fry.  Not these, they are crunchy fries that happen to be made with sweet potatoes.  I made Melissa take some so that I wouldn't eat them all.

Melissa was equally pleased with her Counter Benedict, two perfectly poached eggs on top of pastrami served on a biscuit.  The pastrami and biscuit were an original twist to a traditional benedict with the pastrami adding a nice saltiness to the dish.

Needless to say, Melissa and I enjoyed our lunch and I look forward to going back to Counter Cafe.After all, if Counter Cafe is willing to print their pledge to use local ingredients on their menu, the least I can do is clean my plate.

See you at the Counter!

Warm My Chilly Bones Chicken Posole

With the weather reports atwitter about the upcoming cold snap, I have been thinking about soup, and posole in particular. 

On the Saturday morning of the FoodBuzz Festival in San Francisco, we descended on the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. For a farmer’s market girl, it was like I had died and gone to heaven. There were so many things to try and things that we don’t have in Austin that I couldn’t stop myself from buying a “few” things.

One of the more enticing booths for me was Rancho Gordo, a company that sells dried heirloom beans, corn, spices and other staples. I bought a couple of different types of beans and a bag of posole. When the first resemblance of a cold snap came through Austin in November, I headed straight for the bag of posole.

Because I wanted to make a chicken posole, I made my own broth which is an easy way to cook the chicken and have broth for the soup. If you need a shortcut, you could use canned posole, a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and store bought broth (but it won't taste as yummy!)

Chicken Posole

For the broth: 
a 3-4 lb chicken, cleaned and dried
2 turnips, cut into 4 pieces
1 onion, cut in half
2 large carrots, roughly chopped – you don’t need to peel them
1 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves
Several sprigs of thyme tied together in a bundle


For the posole: 
½ onion, uncut 

1 lb dried posole 

For the soup:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 peppers, roasted, seeded and peeled (I used Hatch Green chiles because I had some, but you could also use Anaheim or Poblano peppers)
Oregano, 2 tbsps dried or 1 tbsp fresh
2 tbsp cumin
Salt and pepper
Shredded chicken from a 3-4 lb bird
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Prepared posole
10 cups chicken broth

For garnish: 
½ bunch of cilantro chopped
¼ cup of cabbage, chopped

To prepare the posole: 
Place the posole in a bowl and cover with water. Soak overnight. Drain the posole. Place it in a saucepan with fresh water to cover generously. Add 1/2 onion, bring to a simmer, cover partially and cook at a gentle simmer until the corn kernels are tender, 2 to 3 hours; many will split open. Season with salt and cool in the liquid. Drain the posole. This step can be done the day before.

To prepare the broth: 
You can do make the broth a few days in advance. Place the chicken in a large stock pot with the vegetables and fill the pot with water, just enough to cover. You don’t want to add too much water or your broth will have a weak flavor. Add the bay leaf(ves) and thyme.

Bring the chicken to a boil and then lower the temperature to simmer. Cook for about an hour and a half. You’ll know it is done when the chicken almost falls off the bone when you try to handle it.

Remove the chicken and set on a plate to the side to cool. Skim any fat off the top of the broth. Pour the broth into another bowl or pot through a strainer, removing the vegetables and herbs. Set the broth to the side.

Remove the meat from the chicken. Discard the skin and bones.

To make the soup:
Heat the olive oil in a stock pot. Add the onions, garlic and peppers and sauté until the onions are just tender. Add the oregano, cumin, salt and pepper to coat the vegetables.

Add the remaining ingredients and then cover with chicken broth, about 10 cups. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes to let the flavors meld and warm through.

2010: A Year for Living Local

Happy New Year!  

As I look forward to 2010, I can only hope that it holds as many pleasant surprises and opportunities as 2009 provided.  For me, the last year has been about becoming part of a community.  Thanks to Addie Broyles, the patron saint of Austin Food Bloggers, and Lyssa Myska Allen, editor of the Austin Post, I moved off my little food blogging island and into a bustling neighborhood of food aficionados.  And, I love it.

I have learned so much from the other bloggers and they have pushed me to be better.  I started with a group of "virtual" friends who I saw on occassion at a food blogger event and instead now have a strong network of blogging colleagues and, what will hopefully become, lifelong friendships.  2009 was a truly blessed year indeed.

So what is in store for 2010?  I have taken the last few weeks off during the holidays to think about it and have hatched a plan.  One of blessings from last year was a series of realizations.  Shortly after meeting Addie, she told me that there were not many people writing about sustainable food.  I hadn't ever thought about it before.  I chose to write about farmers markets because I like them and I like fresh food; I wasn't on a mission, I was having fun.  

As the year progressed, the importance of having fresh food from local farms became more and more clear to me.  I read more books, saw the movie Fresh and began making changes in my own life so that I was eating as much local food as possible.  

As I told my friends about the changes I was making, I heard many reasons why eating local wasn't practical for them - there wasn't a farmers market near them, they couldn't go to the market on Saturday, it was too expensive or they don't cook.   Being me, I decided to chip away at the excuses and I'm going to do it on the blog.  

My friend Darrell recently told me that in this next year he wants to move to a "Know it or Grow it" diet.  I'm not sure if he coined this term or not, but he wants everything he eats to be either grown by him or by someone he knows.  I love it. Shortly after that Jenna Noel from Edible Austin created shirts for Eat Local Week with the slogan Live Local on them and I love that slogan too.  

So, I'm declaring 2010 the year of Living Locally.  I'm going to do my best to adopt Darrell's Know It or Grow It philosophy and I hope you'll join me on the journey.  I think you'll find that it's easier than you think and pretty tasty, as well.  Please feel free to offer up ideas, requests or suggestions.  I consider this blog a community partnership.  

To get the year started off right, I offer up this spicy chili recipe for your bowl game watching pleasure.  

Melt Your Mouth Bison Chili 

I love chili and at the risk of starting a fight, I believe that REAL chili is made with meat and does NOT have beans in it. And, on this fact, I am completely inflexible. 

I am, however, flexible on the meat used. I have made great chili with beef and venison and, most recently, bison. Thanks to Thunderheart Bison, I have switched to bison as my “default” meat. I like that it is lower in fat and cholesterol and that it is so easy to cook. I usually buy some cut of meat from them each week at the market so that I have something in the freezer that I can throw together for dinner. 

This fall, I wanted a very spicy chili and chose bison as the protein. If you don’t like your mouth to melt while you are eating, I highly recommend cutting back on the spice level. You can easily substitute beef or venison if you aren’t as fond of bison as I am. 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 onion, chopped 

2 shallots, chopped 

2 cloves garlic, chopped 

1 bell pepper, chopped 

2 lbs bison, ground or chili meat 

2 cans diced tomatoes 

4 tbsps chili powder – I used a red New Mexican chili powder and a Green Chili powder because I had both, but you can just use red if that is what you have 

1 tbsp red pepper flakes 

2 tbsps cumin 

2 tsps cayenne water, to cover 

Salt, to taste 

Over medium heat, heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion, shallots, garlic and bell pepper until the onions and pepper are tender. Add the bison and brown the meat. Add the tomatoes and spices, stirring well. The chili gets hotter as you cook it, so if you don’t like your chili very spicy, then start with half the spices and adjust later after it has cooked for a while. 

Add enough water to just cover the meat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Lover the heat, cover the chili and allow it to simmer for 1 hour. Taste the chili, adjust the seasoning as necessary, and cook for another 30 minutes. If the chili is too thick, add a little more water. 

If your chili is too runny, then place about 1 tbsp of corn starch in a small bowl, add a little water and stir to make a paste. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the chili and cook for another 10 minutes.