Everyone thinks Chili means something different – some are all about the beans (some no beans at all), some believe in big chunks of meat/some used ground (or no meat at all). I’ve had Chili with no tomatoes (think White Bean with Chicken and Green Chilis or a more ‘gravy’ style) and Chili which is more like soup, rather than a stew. Some Chili is all about the heat and some is about the style of chilis used. We’ve been to Chili cook-off’s and to be honest, I like most Chili but mine is my preference (ha!).

As a kid, I used to have a lot of Venison Chili. We housed 20 hunters a year and were paid a lot in meat (and we ate many forest animals and raised rabbits/turkeys/chickens and occasionally pigs – and if we didn’t have the latter, one of my uncles did). My people were mainly hunters, fisherman, fur trappers. They had the occasional ‘real job’ but even those were designed around the hunting/fishing seasons (even school in my area closed for the first day of any of those times). In a small town of less than 1,000 people (2010 census put my hometown at 562 – that sounds on the verge of extinction) there are not a lot of options.

Our Venison for the chili was ground, however, and full of our home-canned Tomatoes cooked and broken down into a rich sauce with lots of red Kidney beans. That was pretty much it. The ‘chili’ spice was likely from a packet and we ate it with cast-iron Cornbread. It was affordable and homey. And though I miss game (man, I miss game though I can still get some ground Venison or Bison or Elk once in awhile), I think my Chili has changed with the expansion of my world.

You will find Winter Squash taking a center stage here (with or without meat, most times we do without – when you make Chili sans meat I brown the Squash and onions a little more and rinse out the Tomato Cans with red or white Wine – or even beer – to increase the body of the stew), Crushed Tomatoes and Ancho Chili powder with a hint of chocolate and cinnamon (it really deepens the flavors) and lots of Rainbow Bell Peppers/Onions (be sure to add later in the process as long cooked peppers can taste acidic or fall apart, not so much a concern the next day as they disappear into the Chili) and yes, Kidney Beans – my childhood holdover. I could envision an experimental Chili with Chipotle and Ancho with maybe the Elk and Dried Plums (now trademarked under their new name – ha!) and Roasted Tomatoes but that is for another day. The Cornbread here is easy and just sweet enough to want butter (but not necessarily need it, and Gluten Free); it took us a long time to find a cast-iron cornbread we preferred.

We’re firing up the Maple Syrup boiler this weekend – our warm spell will be over and temperatures will be back to mid-30’s during the day. A cup of warm Chili will keep you comfortable though. If you are headed out to sample some Maine Maple Sunday wares – you could always pack some up in a classic thermos for a little car picnic. I like a long cook to bring out the sweet and savory flavors of this dish and cooking it a day before will only deepen flavors. Stay warm, stay sweet.

Rock Bottom Chili
Serves 8

1# Stew Beef (or Lamb/Pork/Game), cut into 1″ chunks (meat optional)
2 cups Kidney Beans (already overnight soaked or Canned)
1# Winter Squash (Butternut/cup, Acorn work great), peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
2-3 Rainbow Bell Peppers, seeded and cut into 1″ chunks
1 Med Onion (optional), diced
1 28oz Canned Crushed Tomatoes
1 28oz Canned Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes (or cook fresh/frozen/home canned to equal both types of tomatoes)
2 tsp Mexican Oregano (or 1 tsp Italian Oregano)
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Ancho Chili powder (or other dark chili of choice)
1 Tbsp Cocoa powder
Sea Salt to taste
Glug of Olive Oil

If using dry beans, make sure to Soak them overnight (or a quick boil in the morning, then let sit at least 2 hours/or pressure cook). They may still be firm(ish) but will cook nicely in the stew through the day.

In a Large pot, add a good glug of Olive Oil and brown meat and Squash chunks (and onion, if using) until browned on all sides. Add beans (if not Canned), a bit of salt, the oregano, stir through then add the Tomatoes. Let them cook for awhile (about an hour) and test squash, hopefully it is still firm but getting more tender – add Peppers and Chili powder (cook another hour, you want the sauce to meld and concentrate) – tasting for preferred spiciness (add more Chili if needed). At this point, when stew has thickened, stir in Cinnamon, Cocoa, and if using Canned Beans. Cook for 10 min, then taste for flavor – add more spice if necessary. When Beans and Squash are fully cooked, the Meat (if using) should be tender.

Put on the back burner and save it for the next day or ladle into cups, grab a piece of cornbread and meet us by the Sugar Shack!

Cast Iron Cornbread (inspired by Plan to Eat blog)

• 1 3/4 cup Cornmeal, preferably organic or non-GMO/local (Some have had trouble with the cornmeal not absorbing enough of the milk. Bob’s Red Mill works great. Due to their comments I do not recommend the Quaker brand of cornmeal or a blue cornmeal)
  * 1/2 – 1 cup of fresh or frozen Corn kernels (optional)
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• 2 cups Milk
• 2 tablespoons melted Butter (or bacon grease/Lard)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 10″ cast iron skillet or an 8×8″ pan.
2. In a small bowl combine cornmeal, corn, baking powder, and salt and whisk well with a fork. In a medium sized bowl beat eggs and mix in honey, milk, and melted butter.
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in oven.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of the bread. Allow to cool before cutting into wedges. Serve with lots of butter (optional) and Chili.

And since you missed (well, really I missed) Duendesday – here’s the peach dancing in the kitchen…

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It’s been a rough week. Sickness, weather, and for us, a redistribution of space and goals. But we are starting to feel a renewed vigor and dedication to ourselves, our community, and this crazy life we’ve chosen (crazy things I never thought I would do before we embarked on this hill: vaseline chicken combs for their safety and care, spread our hair around orchard gardens to keep out deer, pee on apple trees to increase the properties of uric acid, let alone make our own medicines/alcohols/cottage food business). We’re pretty into it; knee deep in maple-sugaring, cider-pressing, jam-making, seed-starting, and learning/caring about the natural world around us.

We weren’t ‘urban’ kids, though neither of us really grew up in households that dedicated themselves to homesteading, either. Pretty rural the both of us, and in homes that certainly did some of the things we do (canning, a bit of growing, some textiles) but as more of lifestyle leftovers from previous generations. We don’t have the kind of families that congregated and shared skills. And as young adults we gravitated toward new spaces – either city spaces or open spaces, not so much ‘home’ spaces. It took us time and experience to consider what that might look like.

We’re still discovering that – but are generally enjoying the ride. In designing our menu this week we realized that ‘soft foods’ were in order for my poor struggling body so it was a lot of things like Colcannon again (so good and full of potassium and B’s, and calcium from the greens and a little dairy), oatmeal (Josh’s is so good with diced apples, flax molasses and maple, and a little salted butter), and soup! The child has been telling us she desired Mushroom Cream Soup which confused us – she’s never been much of a soup eater (besides some Creamy Tomato with a Grilled Cheese) nor has she ever liked mushrooms – but she insisted, so they made it. It was scrumptious. And she liked it!

All Summer long we were able to try out all the lovely mushrooms from the Maine Mushroom Co. from our farmer’s market and now we are able to get some of their mixed packs from our local CSA. Gourmet mixes or more ‘wilder’ flavor mushrooms really do make the difference here (we make a pretty much weekly white pizza with fresh ricotta and mushrooms that is heavenly) with lots of nutritional punch and taste. See if you can find a grower near you – it’s so worth it. Enjoy.

Mushroom Cream Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients
4 tablespoons Butter
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Sweet or Yellow Onions diced
4 cloves Garlic minced
16 oz (we used 2 fancy boxes) fresh Mushrooms chopped (any-which-way-you-want)
2 tsp dried Thyme (or 2 tsp fresh Thyme leaves – or Sage, or Rosemary)
1/2 cup any dry red or white Wine (optional)
4 cups Broth or stock (Chicken/Beef/or Vegetable – even just a rich Onion would work)
Sea Salt & Black Cracked Pepper to taste
1 cup Heavy Cream or Half/Half (or light cream with a flour or cornstarch slurry, or even coconut milk for a dairy-free but creamy version)

Instructions
* Heat Butter and Oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until melted. Sauté onion for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Cook garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
* Add half of the Mushrooms and herbs, cook for 5 minutes. Pour in Wine and allow to cook for 3 minutes.
* Add stock, mix again and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium heat, season with salt, pepper and with a hand immersion blender (or in a regular blender, but be very very careful, it’s hot!) – blend until mostly smooth and thick – it is here you can thicken with a slurry if you feel you need to but keep in mind the cream will also thicken a bit (1:2 ratio of Cornstarch or Arrowroot or Cassava/Tapioca or even Flour to water, add to soup one ratio at a time, bring to a soft boil for 2 minutes, continue until desired thickness).
* Add other half of Mushrooms – cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, while occasionally stirring, until thickened.
* Reduce heat to low, stir in Cream or Coconut Milk. Allow to gently simmer (do not boil). Adjust salt and pepper to your taste. (Swirl a little Truffle Oil or Salt onto the top if you need the fancy-fancy, which I do like!).
* Serve warm with crusty bread (or in my soft food state – I put some small crustless chunks of bread in the bottom of the bowl).

Stay cozy.