Lamb Chili

I love chili, but not to the extent that it deserves half a day of work and 50 ingredients, some of which must come from specialty stores.  So this is an easy, tasty and different take on Chili that brings Tex-Mex and Greek cooking to a crossroads.

Serves 8 people

Ingredients

• 2 cups red onions, chopped
• 2 cups green peppers, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
• 1/2 pound Margaux sausage, casing removed
• 3 garlic cloves,  finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup ruby port
• 1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes crushed by hand
• 1 28 oz can of tomato puree
• 1/4 cup of masa harina
• 2 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans
  • To be served with the chili
    • Crumbled feta
    • Chopped red onion
    • Toasted garlic rubbed pita bread
    • Greek yogurt mixed with cilantro (1 cup greek yogurt mixed w/ 2/3 cup of chopped cilantro)

Making It

• Put a large dutch over on top of a medium-high heat, add two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté onions and peppers until translucent, add the tomato paste and stir for another two minutes, stirring throughout with a wooden spoon
• Add the meat, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne and cook until pink barely disappears, spoon out the grease
• Add the wine and ruby port and cook on high heat until almost evaporated
• At the same time as you cook the meat but the puree, whole tomatoes and all the juices in a large stock pot over medium high heat, break the tomatoes down with the spoon
• Add the meat to tomato sauce when the wine has evaporated and continue to cook for 75 minutes at a simmer
• Take the masa hirana and mix it with with 1/2 cup of water, stir into the chili, then add the beans and cook another 15 minutes and serve with the toppings