Pumpkin Pork Chili

[fitfool]

I had roasted some sugar pumpkins and now wanted to use my pumpkin puree. I threw this dish together after reading other pumpkin and pork chili recipes for ideas of possible ingredients to use. Quantities listed in the recipe are just guidelines. We basically started with most of the ingredients listed and then added a little more sugar, maple syrup, and lime juice until we liked how it tasted. Pretty tasty! Great way to stretch a single pound of ground pork into enough meat for several satisfying meals. This ended up being a pretty soupy chili with lots of liquid so we mixed in some cooked wild rice and it tasted great. By the last days, we had to add a little liquid when we reheated the chili. The pumpkin seems to add a bit of sweetness and a pleasing smooth texture to the chili.






Pumpkin Pork Chili

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced (we like lots of garlic)
1 lb ground pork
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili (or more to taste)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp lime juice
2 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 big 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 can of black beans (or pink beans)
2 cups corn kernels (used frozen but we could've used a can of corn if we had any)

1. Saute and onion in vegetable oil over medium high heat until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute until fragrant. Set the onion and garlic aside.
   
   
2. Brown the ground pork in pan, breaking it up into small clumps with your spatula, and drain off fat after browned.
   
   
3. Add ground cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, sugar, maple syrup, and lime juice and stir.
   
   
4. Add everything else to the pan (pumpkin puree, diced tomatoes, beans, corn kernels) and stir.
   
   
5. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. We had added more maple syrup and lime juice to get to the quantities listed above.
   
   
6. You could simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, but it's pretty much ready to eat once everything is heated through.