Lamb Chili

While we were living in North Dakota for 2 years, it was so hard to find lamb at the grocery store. They would only carry it around Christmas and Easter. While living there I found lots of recipes for ground lamb, I was just waiting to make. Now that we are out of that state (big smile) I was able to find ground lamb at the grocery store. The first time I spotted it I almost screamed out in happiness!!! I was so thrilled to stock up and try out all these ground lamb recipes! I have made 3 or 4 dishes so far, all great and will be posted on the blog in the near future!
Since the weather has a nice brisk chill to the air I have been craving chili. So I pulled some lamb from my freezer stash and cooked up this beauty. With not much effort you can put this hearty chili on the table in no time. If you happen to be scared of lamb, you could always use beef, or if you are not a red meat eater, try ground chicken or turkey. Then serve yourself up a hot bowl and snuggle up in front of a good movie or the fireplace (if you are lucky enough to have one). Enjoy!

Adapted from Bon Appetit
*2 cups of broth chicken, beef of veggie or a combo( I used 1 cup of beef and 1 cup of chicken)
*2-3oz. stem and seeds removed dried ancho peppers (3or 4 peppers)
*1 TBS. cayenne pepper
*1 lb of ground lamb
*1lb or one pkg of beef chorizo, casing removed
*1 small red onion,chopped
*1 small green pepper, chopped
*4-5 cloves of garlic, grated or chopped small
*3 cans of beans, I used black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans
*2 cups crushed tomatoes
*1 can fired roasted tomatoes
*1 TBS dried oregano
*1 TBS cumin
*Grated Sharp cheddar cheese (as sharp as you can get, I used Cabot Seriously Sharp)
*Sour cream
*Cilantro
*Green onions
*Combine first 3 ingredients in a small pan and simmer over med high heat until chilies are soft and both is dark. Puree in food processor
*Cook chorizo in a skillet for 5 mins breaking up into small pieces. Then add onions, green pepper, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Cook down the veggies until soft about 5 mins. Then add in drained beans. In another pot brown lamb. While lamb is cooking, add both kinds of tomatoes to the chorizo mixture. Once lamb is browned add the ancho/broth puree and mix that with the rest of the chili. Let simmer for 15-20. If it is a little thick add a little extra broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with sour cream, cilantro, and green onions.