Fire Roasted Pepper and Sausage Chili

We spent Columbus Day Weekend in Vermont (more about that in a later post, promise!). And when we got home, it was chilly. The temperatures were low, the air smelled of leaves and firewood, and that gorgeous autumn cripsness was in the air, as it had been in VT. This got us to thinking...when it's chilly, it's time to make chili! We changed it up a bit this time, though. We fire-roasted one green and one yellow bell pepper (likely the last of our summer harvest), then peeled and chopped them, adding them to some browned sausage, tomatoes and black beans for a different type of chili that was spicy, warm and filling. The crunchy baguette we bought the previous day at the Red Hen Baking Company in Middlesex, VT was the perfect accompaniment.

Ingredients:

6 thin slices pancetta

1 12-ounce package pork sausage

1 large onion, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper - roasted, peeled and finely chopped

1 green bell pepper - roasted, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper

1 cup water

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon tomato paste mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water

In a large pot, cook the pancetta slices. Remove when crispy and set aside. In the pancetta fat, cook the sausage over medium heat 8-10 minutes until browned, taking care to crumble it into small pieces. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, and seasonings. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and tender. Stir in the water and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and beans and heat to boiling. Stir in the tomato paste/water mixture, then cook uncovered about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with crumbled pancetta bits.