Hunter’s Chili — The Week the River Sounded Good Again

Coffee with Sarah on Monday. The place on Grand Avenue was a small coffee shop in a strip mall, the kind with good coffee and enough ambient noise that you don't feel like you're in a fishbowl. We talked for ninety minutes. I don't drink coffee anymore — it interacts badly with one of my medications — so I had a sparkling water with lemon, which she asked about, and I said I was on a specific medication that made caffeine a problem. Which is true. It's just not the whole truth. I wasn't ready for the whole truth on the first coffee.

She's from Helena originally, moved to Billings for the VA job two years ago. Thirty years old. She runs, which I found out because she mentioned the Great Falls marathon in a way that suggested running was a significant part of her life. I said I didn't run but I walked a lot of fence lines. She said, "That counts." I like that she said that counts.

I drove home and fed the horses and had dinner and called Gary. He said, "So?" I said, "She's good." He said, "Define good." I said, "She listened. She didn't fill the quiet with things to fill the quiet." He said, "That matters." I said, "I know." He said, "Ask her again." I already had — I'd sent a text from the parking lot before I drove home. She said yes to Saturday.

I've been slightly brighter this week. Not dramatically. Slightly. Patrick noticed, which he showed by handing me a mug of coffee with an extra splash of cream that he knows I don't take, which is either an accident or a comment, and with Patrick you never know.

I made elk burgers Saturday to eat before her text about Saturday came in, then ate them alone listening to the river. Good burgers. Good river. Good week.

The elk burgers that Saturday were already good before the text came in — which is how you know they were actually good, not just good because everything felt good. I’ve been making variations of that same kind of meal all week: something from the freezer, something that requires a little attention but not so much that you can’t listen to the river while it cooks. Hunter’s Chili is the next step up from that — same spirit, same game meat, just a little more time and a pot big enough to share if Saturday keeps going the direction it seems to be going.

Hunter’s Chili

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground game meat (elk, venison, or a mix)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

Instructions

1. Brown the meat. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground game meat and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and no longer pink, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
2. Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and bell pepper to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
3. Add spices. Sprinkle in chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat the meat and vegetables evenly and toast the spices for about 30 seconds.
4. Build the chili. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices, drained beans, and beef broth. Stir everything together and bring to a boil.
5. Simmer low and slow. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chili has thickened and the flavors have come together. Adjust salt to taste.
6. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top as desired with shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, or corn bread on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 610mg