Dinner: Beef and Pork Italian Chili

Ingredients

2 tablespoons EVOO
1 1/2 pounds coarsely ground beef sirloin
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons chili powder, such as Gebhardt's, or 1 tablespoon ground red chili pepper
Salt and coarse pepper or peppercorn blend
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced rosemary
1 large bay leaf
Pinch ground cloves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup passata or tomato sauce
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup (a couple handfuls) grated pecorino cheese

Instructions

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, the beef and pork; brown and crumble. Season with the chili powder, salt and pepper. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf and cloves and cook for 8 to 10 minutes to soften the vegetables. Add the tomato paste and stir a minute. Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes and passata or tomato sauce. Simmer to combine the flavors and thicken. Cool and store; reheat over medium heat.
To serve, bring the chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepot, whisk in the polenta, 3 minutes. Stir in the butter, cheese, salt and pepper.
Serve the chili with polenta alongside.

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