Lamb Chili

Photo: flickr user stu_spivack

Ingredients

2 pounds Lamb, trimmed of fat & cut into ¼-inch dice

3 tablespoons Olive oil

1 Yellow onion, diced

4 Cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons Plain chili powder or more, to taste

1 tablespoon Whole cumin seeds

1 teaspoon Whole oregano leaves

2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

2 Sweet bell peppers, seeded and chopped

3 Ripe tomatoes, diced

1 can (8-oz) tomato sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 pound Dried kidney beans, soaked and cooked (see "Texas Chili

Preparation

SERVES 4-6

There is a very fine young chef by the name of Jimmy Schmidt, who owns a restaurant in Denver called The Rattlesnake Club. (Lord, only in Denver!)

He is very skilled and recently served me a chili made with lamb. This is not his recipe, it is mine. But he is certainly the inspiration. You must go to his restaurant.

In a large Dutch oven brown the lamb in the olive oil, along with the onion, garlic, chili powder, and cumin seeds. When the meat is browned and the onion clear, add the remaining ingredients, including the cooked beans.

You may need to add a bit of water to cover everything. Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, watching that the dish does not dry out.

At The Rattlesnake Club they serve lamb chili topped with avocado and papaya chunks, along with a dollop of soft goat cheese. Don't ask me. I couldn't figure it out either! But, Lamb Chili is a wonderful dish.