Lampshade chili a definite success! (paleo, gluten free recipe)
I've only been wanting to try this recipe for months now, and finally got around to doing so tonight. I got the initial idea from rainbow - but she had trouble giving me exact amounts for the spices, so I gave mom the general directions and asked her what proportions I should use. Mom said she didn't know squat about cooking meat with cocoa, and told me to ask her friend. SO, this is the final result, with the exact wording of both rainbow and mom's friend at the end.
(btw, lampshade chili - is called lampshade as it's a chili-like concoction made without the traditional nightshades of tomatoes & peppers.)
1 giant ass onion, diced (seriously, this thing was the size of a softball)
5 cloves garlic, smushed through garlic press
1 lb ground beef (grass-fed even; spouse said would be awesome with lamb)
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
a bit more than 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock (what I had in the fridge)
about 1/2 tsp salt (to taste, I didn't measure)
about a tsp red wine vinegar (again, I splashed and tasted, so this is a guess)
1. mix dry spices together.
2. Sautee onion (I used EVOO) till really soft, 10ish min, add garlic, sautee another minute or two (on medium), sprinkle about a third of the dry spices on, sautee a minute or so.
3. Lower the heat a bit and add in the ground beef & the rest of the spices and brown it all together. When just barely browned, add the soup stock, salt & vinegar. Cook down a bit and taste. See if the spices, salt and vinegar taste right, adjust as needed. (I just added pinches of salt & stirred and re-tasted until right.)
I served it with rice & sour cream - not quite paleo, but made it seem like a "real" meal for non-paleo spouse. Spouse's suggestion was that it could use some chopped cillantro, but otherwise would love it if this became a regular recipe, even a weekly one.
EDIT: I tried the leftovers with a couple spoonfuls of coconut milk instead of sour cream, also very tasty! (But made me wish I'd cooked it with golden raisins. I may try that next time.)
EDIT 2: Tried the recipe again (a few days later) with a twist: a handful or two of golden raisins, a handfuls of quartered baby carrots, about 1/4-1/3 can coconut milk, and increasing the cocoa significantly. I liked all of it except for the cocoa. I think I'd prefer a low cocoa & bring up the cinnamon a bit instead (plus more carrots & raisins) and maybe some lemon juice. So now I have Lampshade Chili and Moroccan (sort of) Lampshade Chili. :)
The original recipe from
rainbow:
"i do something i call chili, although it's both nightshade and legume free: saute ground beef with onion and garlic until the meat is done and the alliums are cooked. add water, oregano, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cocoa, s&p to taste. cook until it's as liquidy as you want (more if it's to be over rice, less for over lettuce, for instance). i like to garnish with chopped onion, minced cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon juice. if you like guacamole, it's tasty on top as well."
And the suggestion from mom's friend:
"Here's my suggestion:
Saute the onion first, and add a layer of seasoning. I'd say 1 tbs of cumin, 1 tbs of coriander, 1 tsp of oregano (BTW, I'm not such an oregano fan; I prefer marjoram), 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and cocoa, s&p. Then add the meat and cook until it's just done, not fully browned. Add the minced garlic and another 1 tbs each of cumin and coriander and a 1/2 tsp of oregano. Then add about 3/4 cup of either water or broth; check your seasonings. Simmer until it's as thick as you'd like.
Again, I like cumin; don't know if you feel the same way, so after you add the first layer of seasonings, give it a little taste and adjust accordingly as you go."
The vinegar was my idea. I think it tasted a bit flat without it. I suspect the cillantro & lemon juice that Rainbow recc'd would've covered the same function, but I didn't have those. I also think I want to try it with more cocoa next time.
(btw, lampshade chili - is called lampshade as it's a chili-like concoction made without the traditional nightshades of tomatoes & peppers.)
1 giant ass onion, diced (seriously, this thing was the size of a softball)
5 cloves garlic, smushed through garlic press
1 lb ground beef (grass-fed even; spouse said would be awesome with lamb)
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
a bit more than 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock (what I had in the fridge)
about 1/2 tsp salt (to taste, I didn't measure)
about a tsp red wine vinegar (again, I splashed and tasted, so this is a guess)
1. mix dry spices together.
2. Sautee onion (I used EVOO) till really soft, 10ish min, add garlic, sautee another minute or two (on medium), sprinkle about a third of the dry spices on, sautee a minute or so.
3. Lower the heat a bit and add in the ground beef & the rest of the spices and brown it all together. When just barely browned, add the soup stock, salt & vinegar. Cook down a bit and taste. See if the spices, salt and vinegar taste right, adjust as needed. (I just added pinches of salt & stirred and re-tasted until right.)
I served it with rice & sour cream - not quite paleo, but made it seem like a "real" meal for non-paleo spouse. Spouse's suggestion was that it could use some chopped cillantro, but otherwise would love it if this became a regular recipe, even a weekly one.
EDIT: I tried the leftovers with a couple spoonfuls of coconut milk instead of sour cream, also very tasty! (But made me wish I'd cooked it with golden raisins. I may try that next time.)
EDIT 2: Tried the recipe again (a few days later) with a twist: a handful or two of golden raisins, a handfuls of quartered baby carrots, about 1/4-1/3 can coconut milk, and increasing the cocoa significantly. I liked all of it except for the cocoa. I think I'd prefer a low cocoa & bring up the cinnamon a bit instead (plus more carrots & raisins) and maybe some lemon juice. So now I have Lampshade Chili and Moroccan (sort of) Lampshade Chili. :)
The original recipe from
rainbow:
"i do something i call chili, although it's both nightshade and legume free: saute ground beef with onion and garlic until the meat is done and the alliums are cooked. add water, oregano, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cocoa, s&p to taste. cook until it's as liquidy as you want (more if it's to be over rice, less for over lettuce, for instance). i like to garnish with chopped onion, minced cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon juice. if you like guacamole, it's tasty on top as well."
And the suggestion from mom's friend:
"Here's my suggestion:
Saute the onion first, and add a layer of seasoning. I'd say 1 tbs of cumin, 1 tbs of coriander, 1 tsp of oregano (BTW, I'm not such an oregano fan; I prefer marjoram), 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and cocoa, s&p. Then add the meat and cook until it's just done, not fully browned. Add the minced garlic and another 1 tbs each of cumin and coriander and a 1/2 tsp of oregano. Then add about 3/4 cup of either water or broth; check your seasonings. Simmer until it's as thick as you'd like.
Again, I like cumin; don't know if you feel the same way, so after you add the first layer of seasonings, give it a little taste and adjust accordingly as you go."
The vinegar was my idea. I think it tasted a bit flat without it. I suspect the cillantro & lemon juice that Rainbow recc'd would've covered the same function, but I didn't have those. I also think I want to try it with more cocoa next time.