I have learned over the years to take the idea from someone else's recipe and translate the "can of pumpkin" to real pumpkin and still get pretty amazing results.
Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili
Let's compare these recipes and see how I changed someone else's recipe to fit my ingredients.
This is the list of ingredients called for in the original recipe:
| These are the ingredients I used:
*I know that my home-made canned tomatoes (500mL) has garlic and bell peppers in the recipe, so I didn't add as much garlic. |
- I left out the bell peppers - mainly because I didn't have any in the house at the time.
- I used ground beef because it was already in my freezer and that meant that I didn't have to make a special trip to the store to buy meat. (We have to drive about 20 minutes away to buy groceries so I usually try to grocery shop once a week.)
- I add a bit of sugar to counter the acidity from the tomatoes. This is a personal preference thing though and you can either leave out the sugar, or add more if you find it too sour.
- I also use my own herbs I have dried as I find they are more flavourful. I use them in my own favourite combinations and usually ignore herb suggestions in a recipe :)
THE METHOD:
(print friendly version)
The night before, I put the beans in my slow-cooker and cover them with water. I usually make sure there is at least one inch (1") of water above the beans which will give them space to swell.
The next morning, I plug in the slow-cooker and turn it on the highest setting. Mine is 2.
While that heats up the water and beans, I fry up the meat in a pan. Then I put that onto the beans.
Using the same pan, I fry up the onions. Ground beef has a little bit of fat in it, so I didn't use oil to fry the onions. Once the onions are almost translucent, I add the garlic. You don't want to fry the garlic too long or it will burn. Cook it just a little bit - maybe a minute or two - then add it to the slow-cooker as well.
I chop up the pumpkin and add that to the slow-cooker. Now I walk away and let it cook quietly alone.
I am at home at lunch time, so I now add the tomatoes, sugar, spices, and herbs. I also give the chili a stir. The pumpkin bit should be easy to mash with a spoon. Just bring one over to the edge of the pot and squish it with the back of the spoon. But if you only get home at supper, just add everything in the morning and let it cook until you get home.
If the chili looks a bit too thick, add some water as well. Every slow cooker is different so you might have to turn yours down to a lower setting (not the keep warm setting though) if necessary. Mine is fine on high all day until supper time.