Winter Seafood Chili with Pumpkin

(Pescetarian, Gluten-free)

I’ll warn you straight away – my recipes are not for folks with timid palates. Over the years, my recipes have gotten hotter and hotter. It’s not because I take perverse delight in hearing the name of the lord rise from the mouths of unsuspecting people (well, maybe a little), but rather because my own tolerance for heat keeps inching upward.

And, okay, I exaggerate. It’s not as bad as all that. Plus, when I post a spicy recipe, I promise that I’ll tone it down so it provides just a bit of warmth, and I’ll hope that you’ll season it to taste if you’d like more heat. Also, let me clarify: I’m not aiming for heat for its own sake . A finely layered, complex set of spices wakes the mouth like a good wine. First you get the flavors on the sides of your tongue, then a sharp bite at the back, followed by a lingering warmth, a nice soft glow. I layer different chiles and peppers for a complexity that you just can’t get with a simpler concoction. Fresh peppers lend an earthy, grassy tone, but when they dry they become fruitier and the heat is balanced by the sweetness, so I use a combination of both.

In this chili I’m going for a structured spice profile, with a big mouthfeel and a long finish. Garlic, onion and cumin form the base notes, and you’ll smell those before you taste them. Then follows the tang and zip of black pepper, coriander, cinnamon (my favorite secret ingredient in lots of things – you’ll see) and a rich smoky taste. You’ll be left with a slow rising, sweetness-tempered heat.

In this chili, I’ve chosen two beans, one for the texture and one for the flavor and visual effect. The Moon beans (Phaseolus Lunatus. Beautiful, no?) are heirlooms that are native to the American Southwest. High in fiber and protein (as most beans are), these gorgeous little pebbles keep their markings when they’re cooked (we’ll see them again in a salad as the weather warms). Moon beans have a rich and fruity flavor, which makes them perfect for this chili. I also used a red bean, maybe heirloom, maybe not, bought in bulk at my natural foods store. This red bean is added for the color – I whirl some up in the food processor to thicken the stew – and their traditional taste. Enough about all this, and onto the recipe. But one last thing. Salt is an important flavor emulsifier, but when you’re cooking dry beans you want to add it last. I don’t know why (I’ll look it up and get back to you) but holding off on salt until the end makes beans less…. digestively disruptive.

Wine Pairing: Because this is hot and spicy, it will pair well with a semi-sweet white wine or a Riesling. However, I’d encourage you to try it with a big red. The chili is bold enough so that the flavors harmonize rather than locking horns My favorite friend to cook with, Jill, and I made this chili for a dinner party not long ago, for a group of friends who love wine as much as food. We hooked this dish up with big red Zin, and it was superb. We tried Dickson’s Mill Zinfandel (Sonoma County) and Handley Zinfandel (Redwood Valley).

Winter Seafood Chili with Pumpkin

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
2 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded (or not, if you want more heat) and diced
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dark chili powder
2 cups canned tomatoes and their juice, diced
4 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried ancho pepper
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (see my favorite things)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 sprinkle coriander
1 pinch cinnamon
6 cups broth (I use vegetarian un-chicken broth)
1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
1 generous dash of liquid smoke
1 healthy dash of hot sauce
4 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed (if you can’t get pumpkin, use any winter squash, but pumpkin makes it special)
3 teaspoons salt
Black pepper
12 ounces haddock, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups Moon beans
2 cups red beans (reserve ½ cup for liquefying)
juice from one lime

In large stock pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, bell peppers, garlic, and jalapeño peppers on medium heat, until the garlic and onion are translucent (about 5 minutes). Add all the dry seasonings and tomatoes and continue sautéing till tomatoes are warm. Add the chicken stock, liquid smoke, hot sauce, pumpkin, salt and pepper. Place reserved beans in a blender or food processor, add a bit of water or broth, and puree. Add this to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the haddock, shrimp and beans. Cook for about 10 more minutes, until the seafood is opaque and the squash is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice and serve.

Chili is one of those dishes that is better the second day, so if you’re so inspired to make it ahead of time and let the flavors mingle, withhold the seafood until the day you plan to serve it.

Note: The Moon beans came from Native Seeds/SEARCH (see Where to Buy Heirloom Beans)

Tags: Moon beans, pumpkin chili, seafood chili

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 5th, 2008 at 5:48 pm and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.