I think I’m enjoying the winter CSA I joined even more than I enjoyed the summer/fall CSA. Both are great, but the winter version includes such items as locally raised meats, cheeses, milk, and even root beer in addition to the late harvest/cold storage fruits and veggies.

Our most recent share included a pound of ground goat meat. If you’ve never had goat, it’s similar to but gamier than lamb. It can replace beef in just about any dish, and it stands up particularly well in spicier recipes.

I decided to take inspiration from a bit by comedian Ron White and use the goat to make chili. I listed ground meat as the ingredient because you can use any meat you’d like: beef, pork, veal, lamb, goat, turkey, etc. As I only had one pound of goat, I used half goat and half beef. Use whatever you have on hand or whatever is on sale.

This is a milder chili, since I planned to feed it to my 20-month-old, but it is by no means short on flavor. (She loved it, by the way.) If you want a spicier chili, there are endless variations. Replace the bell peppers with hot peppers, increase the amount of chile powder or pepper, add cayenne or a dash of hot sauce.

If you prefer, this dish can be finished in a crockpot instead of on the stove. It takes longer, but it doesn’t require as much attention. Put the browned meat, sautéed vegetables, and the rest of the ingredients in a crockpot on low for 8 hours. It will be a bit thinner since the lid keeps the liquid from evaporating. If you want it thicker, turn the heat up to high and cook with the lid off for the last 30 minutes or so.

In short, there is no wrong way to make chili. There’s not even a wrong way to spell it: chili, chilli, chile…I’ve seen it a bunch of ways. So use what you’ve got, and don’t be afraid to improvise! This recipe makes quite a bit, but the leftovers freeze quite well.

Recipe: Meat and Bean Chili

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours
Makes: 12 hearty servings