Green Tomato Chili

So my csa is winding down, only 5 more weeks of veggies, so I need to hurry and cook the and freeze them while I can so I can enjoy the spoils of this year’s harvest as long as possible. This week they sent a bunch of green tomatoes. What to do with them? Hmmm. Well for those of you that have never tried them, they are firmer and less acidic than a regular tomato. So I decided to make a chili with them. The firmness of the green tomatoes works perfectly and doesn't break down into mush. I know. Traditional chili doesn't have beans or a bunch of veggies. Pure and simple meat and I promise I will post that eventually, but while I am getting all these vegetables, I need to take advantage. Meat isn't seasonal, so I can post those over the winter months.

This recipe does use a bit of milk, but you’re making milk-corn starch slurry. The milk will not separate when reheating so it’s ok to freeze this recipe. I promise. That ratio of milk to the rest of the liquid is so small that it is ok to freeze with the milk. I know I said never freeze milk, but there are exceptions to every rule and this is one of those exceptions.

Green Tomato Chili

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large onion diced

2 clove garlic minced

1 lbs. chicken thigh chopped into rough 1 inch pieces

4-6 green tomatoes chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 red bell pepper diced

2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 Tbsp. cumin

2 tsp. Hungarian paprika

2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp. salt

1 Tbsp. pepper

8 c. (2 boxes) chicken stock

Juice of one lemon

1 cup milk

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Heat the vegetable oil in a large stock pot. Sweat the onions, once translucent add in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Then add in the chicken and brown the chicken. Once the chicken is done add in the green tomatoes, carrots, and red bell peppers. Cook for 1 minute and then add the chili powder, cumin, and paprika and cook for another minute. Next cannellini beans, bay leaves, salt, pepper, chicken stock, and juice of one lemon. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Then in a separate bowl or I use a large measuring cup mix the milk and cornstarch. Once you've whisked together the slurry so there are no lumps slowly add a ladleful of the hot cooking liquid into the slurry while whisking. This is called tempering and it makes sure the milk doesn't curdle when it hits the hot liquid.  Repeat with 2 additional ladleful’s. Once thoroughly whisked, add back into the chili and whisk. Cook for another hour. Serve or allow to cool completely before freezing.

To Freeze- Place in a freezer safe container and leave 1/2 inch head space and place a piece of plastic wrap on the chili before you place the lid on in order to prevent sticking. Lay flat to freeze. 

I reheat in the microwave for 3-5 minutes depending on the size of the container