Beef and Lamb Chipotle Chili

We made chili tonight at the Cafe.  I found a recipe for Chipotle Chili and made a few changes to it with the items I had on hand.  Try serving it with some sour cream and grated cheese.  This recipe is a keeper.


Beef and Lamb Chipotle Chili


Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 TB bacon fat (or olive oil)
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 small can of chipotle pepper(with seeds) finely minced
- 1 TB adobo sauce from chipotle can
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 12oz package of frozen squash (defrosted)
- 1 16oz bag frozen corn
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 bottle of beer
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 can (14.5oz) crushed tomatoes


Directions:
1. Brown meat with fat in pan.  Drain the meat and set aside.
2. While the meat is browning, finely chop the onions and garlic.  Cook chopped onions, garlic, chipotle pepper, chili powder and squash in the same pan the meat was browned in for 7-8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer this mixture into a large pot.
3. Place the browned meat into the same large pot.  Add the frozen corn, tomato, beef stock and beer into the pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer. After 30 minutes, taste the chili and adjust seasoning to your  taste.  Cook the chili for 30 more minutes and then serve.
4.  Add sour cream and grated cheese to the chili, if desired.


Cook's Notes:  This is a variation on a recipe I saw on a cooking blog.  I substituted frozen squash for fresh squash, and I added the corn.  I also used a can of chipotle peppers and I minced the peppers before adding them to the  pot.  If you do not like lamb, you could just use ground beef.  I used lamb because the original recipe called for it and I have a pounds of frozen ground lamb left from a 1/2 a lamb we bought last year.  The chili was spicy, but not too hot

Pugliesi Pasta with Lamb

Pugliesi Pasta with Lamb

Ingredients:
- 5-6lb leg of lamb (bone in, but boneless is acceptable)
- 2 large white onions, sliced into thin rings
- 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 stick butter
- 1-2 T olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 4 inch long pieces
- 3-4 celery ribs, sliced and quartered into 4 inch long pieces
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 cup water
- 1lb spaghetti or linguine pasta

Preheat an oven to 300F. Cut the stick of butter in half and place one half into a skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and allow the butter to melt. Once the butter has melted, place the onions into the skillet and sauté for 7-8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

While the onions are cooking, cut slits into the meat and push the cloves into the slits.Place the lamb into a Dutch oven/covered roaster and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the beef stock and water over the lamb.

Once the onions are translucent, remove them from the skillet and spoon the onions over the lamb. Place the lamb into the oven, and add the remaining butter to the pot. Cook for 4-5 hours, basting the lamb occasionally.

When there is about an hour left for the lamb to cook, place the celery and carrots into the Dutch oven.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the pasta until it is al dente. Strain the pasta.

Place the pasta into bowls and spoon the lamb, carrots and celery over the pasta.