RecipeShare: Venison Chili with Chickpeas
Recipe from Amy Thielen, Food Network’s “Heartland Table”
Most deer hunters have a master venison chili recipe, a personal concoction that takes the measure of their power in the woods. In this one, poblanos, sweet spices and chickpeas do everything they can to accentuate venison’s exotic side.
But don’t let a lack of venison stop you from making this chili. Ground lamb or beef or pork—or any mixture of these—works. In fact, I like to mix a little ground pork into the ground venison, which can otherwise be too lean to sop up the broth.
Serves 6 to 8 people
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground venison (substitute ground beef chuck or lamb if venison isn’t available)
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups roughly chopped onion (1 1/2 large onions)
- 2 poblano peppers (1/2 pound), chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28-oz can whole Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle (or a pinch of cayenne pepper)
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons masa harina or corn flour
- 4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock (low-sodium or homemade)
- 2 15-ounce cans cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Sour cream, for garnish
Directions
In a medium bowl combine the ground venison and pork, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cumin and mix thoroughly with your hands until combined.
Heat a large, wide-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil and when it’s hot, add the meat. Cook, breaking up chunks with your wooden spoon, until browned on the edges. Scrape the bottom of the pot often to make sure the stuck-on meat doesn’t burn. (Deep browning is okay.)
Transfer the meat to a small bowl and add the butter, onion and poblano peppers, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook one minute longer.
Pour the tomatoes and their juice into a large bowl and crush with your hands until pulpy.
Combine the chipotle, chili powder, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, paprika and masa in a small bowl and add all at once to the cooked onions. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, 2 cups of water and chickpeas and meat and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 1 hour, uncovered, until the flavors come together.
Garnish with a dollop of sour cream.
About the recipe author
Amy Thielen is the author of “The New Midwestern Table” (Clarkson Potter, 2013), the host of Food Network’s “Heartland Table” and a James Beard award-winning food writer.
A former New York City line cook, she moved back home to northern Minnesota in 2008 with her husband and young son.
Salvation Army food fact
The Salvation Army operates eight food shelves in the Twin Cities. Last year these food shelves distributed 2.7 million pounds of food. Half of the food was donated and half was purchased using monetary donations.