I had 5 lbs of wild boar in the freezer, how to use it? Super Bowl Chili! Make ahead, and serve next day.
Wild Boar Chili
Ingredients
5 lbs of cubed meat....pork, beef, chicken, turkey, bear, weasel, you get the idea
1/4 c flour, you may need more than this, just work in 1/4 c increments
1 t salt
1 t ground pepper
1 T sweet paprika
1 T chili powder
1/2 c vegetable oil or lard
2 small onions, halved
3 roma tomatoes halved
2 small heads of garlic, broken into cloves, not peeled
2 dried ancho chili pods
8-10 dried pasilla chili pods
2 chipotle chili pods
any other assortment of dried Mexican chilis that you have lying around, I had some pasilla negros and some aji as well as guajillos
Olive oil
2 red bell peppers
2 small golden beets, unpeeled, why? For sweetness to counteract the dried chilis
1 medium onion, diced
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 T salt
1 T Mexican oregano
3 bay leaves
2 cans of the beans of your choice, drained and rinsed
1 bag frozen corn kernels
1 circle of mexican chocolate, I used Taza with guajillo pepper
unsweetened cocoa powder
Method
1. Heat oven to 280°F. Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilis. Heat a large cast iron frying pan, add the chilis and toast. This will happen quickly, so have a bowl nearby to put them in. You do not want to burn them! They will be very bitter if that happens. In the bowl with the toasted chilis, add enough water to cover and weight them down with a plate to keep them submerged until the water until they have softened up and are very pliable. This can be left to soften while you complete the next step.
2. In the same large cast iron frying pan, put the halved onions, halved tomatoes, beets, and garlic cloves into the pan dry. Char them on all sides. Take the skin off the garlic cloves. Hold the beets to the side. Do not add them to the blender. Add the other charred veggies to a blender jar. It is best to put the juiciest things at the bottom of the jug, (tomatoes) you will add less water or chili soaking water. Blitz to a smooth puree. Empty blender in a large bowl.
3. While the veggies are charring, over an open flame, char the red bell peppers all over and hold aside until cool enough to scrap off the burnt skin. Remove top stem and slice into thin strips, then halve the strips. Remove the skin from the beets and chop into a smallish dice, chop the remaining onion into a dice as well. Hold these veggies to the side.
4. When the peppers are pliable, place in the blender jug, no need to clean it. Add some of the soaking liquid, enough to get the blender working smoothly and really get them to a very smooth puree. If you don't have a high powered blender, you will need to strain both purees to remove bits of skin, seeds, etc. You want a silky smooth product. Add the pureed chili peppers to the ground tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Mix well. If you don't have the powerful blender, strain the mixture into another bowl. This is what provides the beautiful silkiness to the sauce. Hold to the side.
5. In a large plastic bag, add 1/4 c, salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder. Add about 1/4 of the meat and shake to coat. Heat a large dutch oven and add half the oil and when hot, add the meat cubes that have been shaken to knock off a lot of the excess flour. Brown in the oil working in batches, do all the meat that way. As necessary add more oil, and replenish the flour mixture. Hold the browned meat in another big bowl. Yes, you will use quite a few large bowls.
6. When the meat is finished browning, use paper toweling to soak up remaining oil and any bits of burnt flour on the bottom. Add a little bit of water to help scrap up any last bits. Wipe the pot and add fresh oil. Pour the strained sauce into the pot, mix well and cook for a bit, add the meat and any juices into the pan and mix well. Bring to a simmer, add the sliced peppers, beets, onions and can of diced tomatoes. Mix well. Add salt, bay leaves, and oregano. Mix well. Taste the sauce. Does it need more salt? Mine certainly did! If your sauce is bitter, let it cook a while with the beets. That may do the trick. Cover and put into the oven for 1 hour.
7. After an hour, check on the mixture. Stir and taste again. If it is bitter, add about 1 T honey or agave syrup. Stir well. Put back in the oven for another hour.
8. After second hour, taste again, mine needed more salt. Add the 2 cans of beans and the chocolate circle and 2 T cocoa powder. Stir well to melt chocolate and distribute the cocoa. Put back into the oven with the lid ajar for another hour.
9. Remove from the oven, taste again. Adjust the seasonings. Since it was very cold outside, I put the lidded dutch oven outside overnight. I will remove the fat before reheating. Add the frozen corn, mix in well, and reheat in oven until ready to eat.
Nota Bene: I know that this is a lot of ingredients and time. But it is well worth it! If there is any remaining sauce, freeze it! It will do wonders for any other type of chili or sloppy joe type meal.
