Goose Chili

A red game chili — seared goose, garden corn, beans, tomato & peppers

Serves 6 · 30 min

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1–2 goose breasts, seared & cubed (or ground goose)
2 Tbsp oil · 1 onion, diced · 4 garlic cloves
garden peppers: 1 poblano + 1 banana or jalapeño + 1 green cayenne, diced
leftover Garden Pico — stir in what you've got (tomato, onion, pepper & lime already)
2 cups corn, off the cob (a neighbor's is fine)
3 cups beans — kidney, pinto, or black — drained
1 lb paste (San Marzano) tomatoes, chopped — for body, in place of tomato paste
28 oz tomatoes (or 2 lb garden tomatoes)
2 Tbsp chili powder · 1 Tbsp cumin · 1 tsp smoked paprika · oregano
2 cups stock · salt · cilantro & lime to finish

Sear the goose first. Salt and pepper the breast and sear it hard like a steak, leaving the center rare; rest, then cube. (Or brown ground goose in the pot.) Searing — not boiling — is what builds the flavor and keeps lean game from going tough.
Sweat the aromatics. In the same pot, soften the onion and fresh peppers in the oil; add the garlic. Then stir in the dry spices and cook a minute until they darken and smell toasty.
Build the pot. Add the paste tomatoes, the canned tomatoes, any leftover pico, the beans, corn, and stock; bring to a simmer and cook 45 minutes or more to meld — the pico melts right in, tomato and pepper and all, and the paste tomatoes cook down to the body a spoon of paste used to give. Stir the cubed goose back in for the last 10 minutes so it stays tender.
Season & finish. Salt to taste, then brighten with cilantro and a squeeze of lime right at the end.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Sear the goose first. Salt and pepper the breast and sear it hard like a steak, leaving the center rare; rest, then cube. (Or brown ground goose in the pot.) Searing — not boiling — is what builds the flavor and keeps lean game from going tough.

2. Sweat the aromatics. In the same pot, soften the onion and fresh peppers in the oil; add the garlic. Then stir in the dry spices and cook a minute until they darken and smell toasty.

3. Build the pot. Add the paste tomatoes, the canned tomatoes, any leftover pico, the beans, corn, and stock; bring to a simmer and cook 45 minutes or more to meld — the pico melts right in, tomato and pepper and all, and the paste tomatoes cook down to the body a spoon of paste used to give. Stir the cubed goose back in for the last 10 minutes so it stays tender.

4. Season & finish. Salt to taste, then brighten with cilantro and a squeeze of lime right at the end.

Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.