Categories: Chili, Main Dish, Pork
Ingredients
- Chili:
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided (plus more if needed)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup diced carrot (1/2-inch dice)
- 2 tablespoons minced serrano peppers
- 3 lbs boneless pork loin , trimmed of all excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more if needed)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 (28 ounce) can italian-style plum tomatoes , drained and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 6 thin lime wedges , for garnish
- Polenta:
- 4 cups chicken stock (plus a little extra if needed)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup whole milk
Directions
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Make the chili: heat 2 tablespoons oil in a big, heavy, deep-sided pot set over med-high heat.
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When hot, add onion and carrots; saute, stirring, for 5 minutes.
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Add in serrano peppers; cook 1 minute.
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Remove pan from heat and spoon ingredients onto a plate; set aside; reserve pot.
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Put pork in a large ziplock plastic bag; add flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper; seal bag and shake well to coat pork with flour.
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Return pot to med-high heat and add 2-3 more tablespoons oil, or enough to coat the bottom of pan lightly.
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When hot enough, add enough floured pork cubes to fit comfortably in a single layer in pan (do not crowd); brown pork, turning, for 3-4 minutes.
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Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to paper towels to drain; repeat with remaining pork, adding more oil as needed.
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Return all browned pork to pan and add garlic.
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Cook and toss 1 minute.
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Return reserved onion, carrots, and peppers to pan.
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Add tomatoes, lime juice, and broth.
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Bring mixture to simmer, then decrease heat.
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Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes, then cover and cook until meat is quite tender, about 50-60 minutes.
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Taste chili and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
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**Chili can be prepared 2 days ahead; cool, cover, and refrigerate; reheat over medium heat.
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To make polenta: combine 4 cups stock and the cumin in a large, heavy saucepan set over med-high heat.
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When stock begins to boil, decrease heat and gradually (in a thin stream) whisk in cornmeal.
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Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to thicken, for 6-8 minutes or less.
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Stir in butter and milk; taste and add salt, as needed.
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**Polenta can be made up to 2 days ahead; cool, cover, and refrigerate; reheat over low heat, stirring constantly and adding additional stock, as needed, until polenta is desired texture.
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To serve—spoon a generous 1/2 cup polenta into 6 shallow soup bowls.
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Ladle pork chili over polenta and sprinkle each portion with some cilantro.
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Garnish with a lime wedge.