This just in: chili doesn’t have to be brown and boring. You know how everyone brings basically the same chili to a fall or winter get-together? You may have your one or two rogues who decide to be wild and bring a white chicken chili, but we’re willing to bet that no one else will show up with a chili color as rebellious as green. This Chili Verde with Sausage and Pumpkin is refreshingly different, not to mention attractive and quite healthful. Tender cubes of sugar pumpkin (or butternut squash) stew in a sweet and savory salsa of broiled tomatillos, serranos, onion, garlic and cilantro. Hominy and sausage lend earthiness and texture. Grab some blue corn chips or cornbread and you’re all set for a comforting, warm bowl of Mexican flavors.
Broiling tomatillos and onions releases their sweetness:
Like most pumpkin recipes, this one calls for a sugar pumpkin (or “pie” pumpkin, “sugar pie” pumpkin, or “baby bear,” to name a few other labels), which you can find almost everywhere during the cooler months, (usually) beginning in late September. The salsa verde is thick and makes a phenomenal, sweet base for this chili. You control the heat, and we found that leaving the seeds in 1 out of 5 serranos was a good amount of heat for the youngins.
We call this one “Vitamins In A Pot” :
Again, this is not your average chili. We actually agree with it’s creator, Aaron Sanchez, that it tastes better the second day after all the flavors have time to marry and further develop. Less stress come dinnertime is always a great thing, so make this a day ahead and have a relaxing meal with those you love the next day.
Invite a kid to do the stirring. As you prepare and enjoy this chili with those you love, teach them a few things about some of the ingredients:
- Tomatillos have lots of fiber, which helps your body digest things properly.
- Hominy also provides your body with lots of fiber, which helps to keep the sugar levels in your blood healthy.
- Pumpkin helps keep your cells healthy, which helps you age well.
Hello, gorgeous:
Let’s learn a few things about Mexico and it’s people:
- Mostly Catholic, many Mexican children have to wait till Jan. 6th to get Christmas presents.
- Mexico City was built on a lake and it is slowly sinking.
- Many kids in Mexico can either go to school in the morning hours or in the afternoon.
From: Chili Verde with Sausage and Pumpkin
- For the tomatillo salsa:
- 1½ pounds tomatillos (6 to 8 medium)
- 5 serrano or 10 jalapeno peppers, stemmed (plus seeds, if you can take the heat)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 large white onion, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the chili:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 pound sausage meat (mild or hot)
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
- 3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 1 15 -ounce can hominy
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for topping
- 2 cups chopped peeled sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (about 8 ounces)
- Kosher salt
- Thinly sliced serrano or jalapeno peppers, for topping
- *TAC note: blue corn chips, muffins, or tortillas are a great accompaniment if you so desire.
- Make the tomatillo salsa: Preheat the broiler. Remove the husks from the tomatillos, then rinse the tomatillos under warm water to remove any stickiness. Dry with a paper towel. Put the tomatillos, chiles, garlic and sliced onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on 2 teaspoons or so of salt. Broil a few inches from the heat, turning everything once, until the tomatillos are softened and slightly charred, about 7 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the broiled vegetables to a blender; add the cilantro and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make the chili: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until just translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking it up, until browned, about 10 minutes.
- Spoon out and discard the excess fat, leaving 1 to 2 tablespoons in the pot. Stir in the oregano and garlic and cook, stirring, about 3 more minutes.
- Stir in the tomatillo salsa, hominy (including the liquid), cilantro and pumpkin. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the pumpkin is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt, if necessary. Top with cilantro and chiles.
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