Just in time for the cooling temperatures, Lewis Waite Farm, a meat vendor at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, is offering a sale on its beef chorizo, which happens to make a superb spicy chili that will warm the hearts (and stomachs) of all around the table. Additions to the chorizo from the market include fresh locally grown tomatoes, onions, garlic and hot peppers to make a superb chili.
The temperatures may be going down, but the Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendors have tables full of products that can turn an average dish into a full flavored crowd pleaser. This chili is a good example.
Ingredients
1 lb. Lewis Waite beef chorizo
1 medium yellow onion
3 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
1 – 15 oz. can of dark red kidney beans
1 – 15 oz. can of black beans
1 – 12 oz. can of tomato puree (or homemade with tomatoes from the Market)
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
2 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
½ tsp. paprika
1-2 seeded jalapeño or other hot pepper of choice
Water as needed
1 cup of long grain rice, cooked
(Optional: In the final minutes of cooking, add to the rice ½ cup fresh corn kernels removed from the cob, or frozen garden corn.)
Directions
1. In a large deep-sided pan, brown the chorizo breaking it up into crumbles. (A nice feature of Lewis Waite’s chorizo is that it does not come in casing, but in frozen packages resembling regular ground burger.)
2. Add diced onion and continue sautéing until onion is translucent.
3. Add all the other ingredients, stirring each into the mix. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Add a little water if needed to keep the liquid light.
4. While the chili is simmering, cook the rice. If using fresh corn, add it five minutes before the rice is done.
5. Serve in bowls, with the rice covered by the chili.
A nice Mexican cerveza goes well with this dish, as does a large glass of Battenkill Valley Creamery milk.
A version of this market recipe appears in this week’s edition of Saratoga Today. Ingredients marked with an asterisk (*) are available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market.
