Former Middle and Upper School Science Teacher Kate Strangfeld runs a food blog called Kate Cooks, and an accompanying Instagram account with 17.3K followers. In a four part series Dateline staff reviewed four of her fall themed recipes. This article focuses on her Pumpkin Chili recipe.
Pumpkin is a classic fall flavor, and chili is a popular dish. Combine the two in a recipe, and curiosity arises. In the introduction, Strangfeld says this recipe is one of her favorites. She also includes a beautiful image of the final product that captivates readers to this recipe.
The Recipe
The recipe is very basic and easy to follow. The instructions are short, and the hands-on time is less than an hour. This is a great recipe for weeknights when you don’t feel like creating an elaborate meal. It took about an hour to make this dish.
For an inexperienced cook the instructions may appear vague. There are no instructions on how large the pieces of vegetables should be cut, how to know when to add in the other ingredients or when the dish is finished. I added a few extra ingredients, like extra carrots and more cumin, to improve the taste to my liking.
The recipe says the serving size is “four large servings,” but I served this dish to my four person family, and everyone was able to have seconds, and there were still leftovers. Just be aware of this when making the dish.
The ingredients are very accessible and are household items. Very minimal equipment was needed, which made for a quick, easy cleanup. No ingredients were wasted.
Final Product
I sprinkled cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese onto the final dish. The cheese melted on the warm chili. Before I even dug into it, the dish drew me in with its comforting appearance.
The chili was warm and comforting to eat. The soft texture is complemented by the slight crunch of the carrots and celery. It fills the mouth and warms the soul.
The seasoning worked very nicely, and was not spicy. I added more cumin and salt than what the recipe indicated. There was a slight sweetness, which came from the pumpkin, and goes well with the tangy tomato and hearty black beans. I tried the chili with both baguette and tortilla chips, and both complemented the dish excellently.
The carrots and celery were, however, slightly too crunchy. The recipe did not indicate how long to let them cook before adding the other ingredients. Adding more carrots and celery could also add amore interesting texture to the dish.
There was also a lack of pumpkin flavor. Although there was a slight sweetness, it was barely tangible. The dish was overpowered by the tomato and meat flavors. This taste was surprising given that I had been expecting the pumpkin to be the center of the dish. It had been highlighted in the name of the dish, and it was what initially drew me in.
Overall, this is a delicious dish. It was filling, and it sat well in the stomach. It’s a great comfort food for a cold autumn day.
By Naomi Breuer
