Beef and Pumpkin Chili

I came home from working at the library last night & was greeted with the smell of chiles, cinnamon, pumpkin & a just a hint of chocolate, amazing. Nothing like coming home to a dinner cooked by your husband, especially one that smelled & tasted as good as this one.

We picked up some baking pumpkins earlier this fall at the farmers' market & Matt said he wanted to use one to make chili. He took the inspiration for this chili from the flavors of molé. It's a rich, dark chili with lots of layers of flavor, a slight sweetness from the pumpkin, spiciness from the chiles, a little bitterness from the beer, smokiness from the cumin and that distinctive flavor of cinnamon.

Beef & Pumpkin Chili

1 small pie pumpkin
olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 T cumin
1 t oregano (Mexican preferably)
1 t cinnamon
2 t cocoa powder (we used dark cocoa)
1 t ancho chile powder
1/2 t cayenne (this chili was a mild on the Matt scale but hot on the Kathy scale so adjust the cayenne accordingly)
14.5 oz can black beans (or 1 c dry black beans that have been simmered until softened)
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 bottles (24 oz) dark lager (we used Sessions Black)
salt

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut the pumpkin in half, seed & remove pulp. Cut into 8 wedges. Coat with a little olive oil & season with salt & pepper. Place on a baking sheet & roast for about 45 minutes until soft. Remove skin & cube. Save 2 cups for the chili (any remaining pumpkin can be frozen for another use).

Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until tender. Add the ground beef, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cocoa, chile powder and cayenne. Cook until the beef is cooked through. Stir in the pumpkin, beans, tomatoes & beer. Let simmer for 45 - 60 minutes until all the flavors blend. Taste for seasoning & salt to taste.

5 - 6 servings

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