West African Chili

This healthy chili is perfect for a Paleo or Anti-Inflammation diet. A comforting balance of spicy and smokey, it’s a great way to warm up on a chilly Fall or Winter afternoon.

Ingredients

Broth

• 1 smoked ham hock (1.5-2 lbs)
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 whole molido chilies (dried, smoked)
• 1 whole habanero pepper (dried)
• 4 whole dundicut chilies (dried)
• 4 garlic cloves, whole
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• water

Chili

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1.5 tablespoons cumin powder
• 2 tablespoons hot paprika
• 3 tablespoons mild smoked chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 head cauliflower (broken into bite-sized florets)
• 6 carrots, diced
• ½ lb green chard leaves, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

1. Put the ham hock, bay leaves, chilis, garlic cloves, and cumin in a large pot, then add enough water just to cover everything.
2. Cover the pot, set over high heat to bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for an hour. Add salt to taste during the last 5 min of cooking.
3. While the broth is cooking, pour the olive oil into a separate pan set over medium-high heat.
4. Add the diced onions and slowly caramelize them with the lid on, stirring often.
5. Add the cumin powder, curry powder, chili powder and hot paprika to the onions and fry everything together to toast the spices for a minute.
6. Add the diced tomatoes into the onions, lower the heat to medium, cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes, again adding salt to taste at the end.
7. Using a slotted spoon or a strainer, remove all the solids from the broth. You can discard the spices. Remove the meat from the bone, discard skin, chop up the meat and add back to the broth along with the bone.
8. Add the cauliflower and carrots to the broth, bring back to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Add the tomato-onion mixture, chard and minced garlic to the broth and simmer for a few more minutes.
10. Taste and adjust salt if needed, then remove from heat and ladle into bowls.
11. Enjoy!