Cervena Venison and Black Bean Chili with Vintage Cheddar

Adapted by StarChefs.com
September 2011
Yield: 8 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

Black Beans
½ cup black turtle beans
1 piece ham hocks
¼ onion
salt
Chili
1 pound Cervena venison, cubed and portioned
oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, diced
1 diced poblano chili
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon allspice
4 cloves
1 cup dark beer
1 cup plum tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 cup beef stock
½ teaspoon chipotle chilies
½ teaspoon guajillo chilies
½ teaspoon pasilla chilies
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 corn Tortilla
Fresh lime juice
To Assemble and Serve
Diced onions
Grated aged white cheddar
Sour cream

METHOD:

For the Black Beans:
Soak the beans in room temperature water overnight. Cook the soaked beans with the ham hock and the onion in fresh water. Season with salt after cooking.

For the Chili:
Season the Cervena venison with a light coating of oil, salt, and pepper and sear in 2 batches in a rondeau over high heat. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Sweat the onions and poblano in the rondeau. Turn the heat down. Grind the cumin, allspice, and cloves and add them to the rondeau. When the mixture is lightly caramelized, deglaze the pan with the beer. Return the meat to the pan. Add the tomatoes, garlic, beef stock, chipotle chilies, guajilo chilies, pasilla chilies, and dried oregano. Cover with aluminum foil and braise for 2 hours. Add the beans and bring to a simmer. Once the mixture is at a simmer, char the tortilla and crumble it into the pot. Mix in the lime juice.

To Assemble and Serve:
Portion the Cervena venison Chili into bowls. Sprinkle with the onions and grated cheddar, and add a dollop of sour cream.

*Venison provided by Cervena.