Pork and Squash Chili

This week Danny Wegman featured pork and butternut squash as his sale items. Joan purchased both and made this deliciously different chili.

Preparation time 20 minutes. Takes 30 minutes to cook. Serves six.

Ingredients:

3/4 pound boneless pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
2 14 1/2-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
8 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes, about 1/2 cups
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup loose-pack frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon grated unsweetened chocolate
(this is the secret ingredient in Cincinnati Chili)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

Directions:

Cut the pork into 1/2-inch cubes. In a Dutch oven, cook and stir the pork, onion, and garlic in hot oil until meat is browned. Stir in undrained tomatoes, squash, kidney beans, black beans, corn, water, chili powder, chocolate, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until squash and pork are tender, stirring occasionally.

To serve - ladle chili into bowls. Joan served the chili with corn bread.

Note: Try this to increase the flavor and enjoyment. After cooking put the chili in an air-tight container and let it refrigerate overnight allowing the ingredients to marinate. Remove it the next day and re-heat.

This recipe was developed by Don Holt, a long-time Cincinnati chili lover and cook.