Warm Up With A Bowl of Roasted Butternut Squash Chili

Our family truly loves a good dish of chili. We often shake up the recipe and do not think it is ever made the same. I can remember my husbands dear grandmother, her recipe for chili was memorized and followed faithfully every time. I truly wonder what she would think if we shared this vegetarian variation of chili with her. We tried the recipe and enjoyed I hope you do as well.

 

 

 

4 small jalapeño peppers, roasted

4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into approximately ½-inch cubes

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

½ teaspoon finely minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

½ cup red wine

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in their juices

Corn kernels from 4 ears of fresh corn

1 ( 15-ounce) can red kidney beans

1 (15-ounce) can white kidney beans

1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped, fresh oregano

Olive oil

Sea salt and brown sugar to taste

⅓ cup each for garnish: shredded sharp cheddar cheese, diced avocado, diced red onion

 

 

To roast the jalapeño peppers: preheat the broiler. Cut each one in half and remove all of the seeds. Place the peppers round side up on a foil-lined baking sheet and put directly under the broiler until the skin is fairly evenly charred, about 3 minutes. Remove from the broiler and then wrap them in the foil you broiled them on, leaving at least a few inches of air inside. Let them steam this way for about 5 minutes. Use your hands or the dull side of a paring knife to remove the skin. Finely chop the peeled peppers and set aside two tablespoons of them to add to the chili.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.

Add the cut butternut squash to the foil and drizzle it generously with olive oil. Then sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon and toss to evenly coat all of the squash.

Place in the preheated oven until the squash becomes golden brown, about 10 minutes per side.

While the squash is roasting, coat the bottom of a large stock pot or Dutch oven with olive oil.

Add the onion and garlic and over medium heat, cook until the onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes.

Add in the 2 tablespoons of the finely chopped jalapeños, along with the chipotles, cumin, and chili powder. Cook until it becomes very aromatic, about 1 minute.

Then turn the heat to low and deglaze the pan with the wine.

Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the wine is reduced by about half, about 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, corn, all of the beans, and the roasted butternut squash. Lower the heat a bit and simmer for about 10 minutes to blend all of the flavors.

Add the oregano and season to taste with salt and brown sugar.

Serve with cheddar cheese, red onion, and avocado.

 

recipe source here