Italian Pork Chili With Polenta Recipe 455

Steps:

• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, the beef and pork; brown and crumble. Season with the chili powder, salt and pepper. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf and cloves and cook for 8 to 10 minutes to soften the vegetables. Add the tomato paste and stir a minute. Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes and passata or tomato sauce. Simmer to combine the flavors and thicken. Cool and store; reheat over medium heat.
• To serve, bring the chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepot, whisk in the polenta, 3 minutes. Stir in the butter, cheese, salt and pepper.
• Serve the chili with polenta alongside.

Steps:

• Roast the bell pepper over a gas flame, turning with tongs, or broil until the skin is blackened. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel, seed and chop the pepper. Heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and pancetta and cook until well browned. Add the ground pork, thyme, fennel seeds, garlic, chile peppers, onions, oregano and roasted red peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with the wine, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add 2 to 3 cups chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Bring 2 cups chicken stock and the milk to a low boil in a saucepan. Whisk in the polenta and cook, whisking, until thick but pourable, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the butter and then the cheese, stirring until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the polenta into shallow bowls and hollow out the center. Fill with the chili and top with more cheese. Garnish with parsley. Cook's Note: The chili can be covered and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat, and prepare the polenta before serving.

Steps:

• In a pot, bring milk and 2 1/2 cups water to a simmer; season lightly with salt. Whisking constantly, add polenta in a thin stream. Reduce heat to low; cook, whisking occasionally, until polenta is tender and creamy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Season with salt and pepper; cover to keep warm.
• In a large skillet over medium-high, heat oil and garlic until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and discard garlic; add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add spinach; season with salt and pepper, and cook until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vinegar; cook 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
• Reheat chili. Serve with vegetables over polenta.

Steps:

• Make the chili: heat 2 tablespoons oil in a big, heavy, deep-sided pot set over med-high heat.
• When hot, add onion and carrots; saute, stirring, for 5 minutes.
• Add in serrano peppers; cook 1 minute.
• Remove pan from heat and spoon ingredients onto a plate; set aside; reserve pot.
• Put pork in a large ziplock plastic bag; add flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper; seal bag and shake well to coat pork with flour.
• Return pot to med-high heat and add 2-3 more tablespoons oil, or enough to coat the bottom of pan lightly.
• When hot enough, add enough floured pork cubes to fit comfortably in a single layer in pan (do not crowd); brown pork, turning, for 3-4 minutes.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to paper towels to drain; repeat with remaining pork, adding more oil as needed.
• Return all browned pork to pan and add garlic.
• Cook and toss 1 minute.
• Return reserved onion, carrots, and peppers to pan.
• Add tomatoes, lime juice, and broth.
• Bring mixture to simmer, then decrease heat.
• Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes, then cover and cook until meat is quite tender, about 50-60 minutes.
• Taste chili and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
• **Chili can be prepared 2 days ahead; cool, cover, and refrigerate; reheat over medium heat.
• To make polenta: combine 4 cups stock and the cumin in a large, heavy saucepan set over med-high heat.
• When stock begins to boil, decrease heat and gradually (in a thin stream) whisk in cornmeal.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to thicken, for 6-8 minutes or less.
• Stir in butter and milk; taste and add salt, as needed.
• **Polenta can be made up to 2 days ahead; cool, cover, and refrigerate; reheat over low heat, stirring constantly and adding additional stock, as needed, until polenta is desired texture.
• To serve--spoon a generous 1/2 cup polenta into 6 shallow soup bowls.
• Ladle pork chili over polenta and sprinkle each portion with some cilantro.
• Garnish with a lime wedge.

Steps:

• Spray 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place pork in slow cooker; sprinkle taco seasoning mix over top. Toss to coat. Add remaining Chili ingredients to slow cooker; stir to combine. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until pork is tender and easily pulled apart.
• Transfer pork to cutting board and shred, using two forks. Add shredded pork back into slow cooker; stir to combine, and continue to cook about 15 minutes or until hot. Serve with Toppings.