Thursday, October 1, 2015

Pumpkin Chili with Sausage for Your Fall Time Reverie or What Have You



We just got back into town, refreshed from time with family and friends. We scheduled ourselves a day to recover from cat withdrawal and relax. We came back to Kansas City to find fall starting to creep in, and we decided to try our hand at a pumpkin chili. Here's how we went about it:

  • 1 lb pumpkin, roasted (skin-removed) and cut into 1 inch squares.
  • 1 whole onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (leave the seeds in if you want it extra spicy)
  • 1 lb sausage
  • 1 15 oz can chili beans, undrained
  • 1 15 oz can black beans, undrained
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp adobo sauce from can of chipotles in adobo sauce, not pictured (can substitute dash of liquid smoke, 1/2 Tbsp Korean chili flakes, or 1 1/2 Tbsp of barbecue sauce)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • Dash of turmeric
  • Pinch of celery seed
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 c water or broth



First halve your pumpkin and scoop out the innards (save the seeds for roasting). We ended up using one half of the pie pumpkin we bought for the chili, the rest on some ice cream. Roast it cut side down for about a hour at 425 degrees. You want it soft enough that a fork or butter knife slides right in. It's important to roast it long enough that it'll disperse a little into the tomato sauce. Cut it into 1-inch pieces, like so:


Here's the sausage we used. We were going for spicy, as Beth's pushing her spice boundaries. We bought it in casings, but you're just gonna take it out of the casings anyway, so if you find it loose, that's preferable.


Get your spices together in a bowl or ramekin so you can just toss 'em all in at once:


Start by browning your sausage for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the adobo sauce:


Add onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook until onions are translucent, about five minutes:


Add everything else:


Cover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. 

THEN IT LOOKS LIKE THIS:


AND THIS:


The chili was spicy and mildly sweet. We were pretty encouraged by the results.

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