End of Summer Chili Pot

This pot of chili uses up all the veggies from your garden before the frost takes over.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 pound ground beef, pork or turkey
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 chilies, seeded and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 ears corn, kernels scraped off
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 bottle beer (12 ounces)
• 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• Grated peel and juice of 1 lime
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded Gouda, smoked Gouda, pepper Jack or smoked cheddar cheese

Preparation

In a large, heavy pot, heat the EVOO, two turns of the pan, over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the beef and cook, stirring to break it up, until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the onion, garlic, zucchini, bell pepper and chilies; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the corn kernels, chili powder and paprika. Cook until the veggies are softened, 6-7 minutes.

Stir in the beer and cook until reduced slightly, 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, thyme and lime peel and cook until slightly reduced, 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, then stir in the lime juice. To serve, top the chili with the scallions and cheese.