Wrangler Dani

This is the time of year when pre-packaged food producers whore themselves out to the pumpkin-craving public, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m a sucker for Pumpkin Spice Lattes, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin soups. I grab an extra can of pureed pumpkin “just in case” nearly every time I’m at the store and if a recipe calls for pumpkin and nutmeg, I am in. In short, I am very grateful for pumpkins. 🙂 Since I like to cook (and Adam and I both like to eat) I also really love creating new ways to use an ingredient like pumpkin – hence, Pumpkin Chili.

So, without further ado, here’s my Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Chili recipe, for your enjoyment on chilly fall evenings.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups dried navy beans and kidney beans (depends on how much meat you use)
• 1 lb. (or more if you like meatier chili) beef stew meat, chopped into bite-sized chunks. I used a roast, but anything will do, since it will simmer for quite a while this is a great opportunity to use a tougher cut.
• 1 Sugar Pie pumpkin, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 45 ounces beef or chicken stock
• 1 14-ounce can of pumpkin puree
• 1-3 cans of light beer (I like to use Budweiser) this enhances flavor, but how many cans you’ll need really depends on how long you slow-cook your chili
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6-8 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons red chili flakes (less if you don’t like it too spicy)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder (more if you want a strong chili flavor)
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• 2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Put it together:

• Soak the beans overnight in cold water, and then rinse them, drain them and place them in the Crock-Pot. They can hang out for a bit and wait for their buddies.
• Start the onion and garlic in a pan with butter or oil, until it begins to carmelize and become fragrant. Add the beef and get a nice sear on all sides, once you have good color, toss it all in the slow-cooker on low with the beans. You can add the spices at this time to the Crock-Pot, except the oregano and parsley. Also add about a third of the stock.
• Put the rest of the stock and the whole can of pumpkin in a pan (you can reuse the same one from before) and let it start to simmer together and combine. You could probably get away with just putting it all in the Crock-Pot, but I want to be sure that the pumpkin puree will break down and create a nice base, so I like to keep it separate just in case. Add some salt and pepper and stir occasionally, watching for your two ingredients to become one. When they are well combined and you can smell a “savory pumpkin” fragrance, it’s ready for the slow-cooker too.
• Put your Sugar Pie pumpkin chunks in your hard-working pan with a little butter or oil. The goal is to carmelize the pumpkin chunks and enhance their color and flavor. I added some salt, pepper, ground cinnamon and chili powder to it too, but you don’t have to. Let the pumpkin saute for a while – the lower and slower you cook it, the better it will be. When it’s done, you can put it in a container and save it until it’s needed, or you can wait and cook the pumpkin chunks right before you serve your chili.
• Let the chili cook for at least 12 hours. I actually prefer to start it the night before I want to eat it, so that it cooks more like 20 hours or so. The longer it cooks, the better. As it simmers, add beer or stock as needed to keep the right consistency.
• 10 minutes or so before serving, add the pumpkin chunks, oregano and parsley. This insures that your chili has bright pops of color – so pretty!

This chili serves 8-10 people happily, and it will satisfy those fall cravings (I took it to a chili cook-off recently and everybody loved it, except vegans, but let’s face it, I don’t know how to cook for those guys). Serve with onion and grated cheese on top, and if you want to get really fancy, break a cinnamon stick into several 2-inch pieces and put one in each bowl as a garnish.

Is it time for dinner yet?