German Geschnetzeltes Chili

When we were looking for cars, we were interested in the Volkswagen Touran.  It had everything; automatic parking, rain sensor, GPS, rear parking sensors, start/stop at traffic lights, a warning sensor for drowsy drivers, dual temperature controls and heated seats.  What it didn’t have was 4 wheel drive and mud/snow tires.  However, the Volkswagen representative assured us that this wasn’t really a problem because, he carefully explained, Stuttgart is located in a warm bowl and rarely gets any snowfall.

It snowed before Thanksgiving and has been snowing for the last 5 days, heavily.  Not really a problem for us as we bought the Toyota Rav 4 with 4 wheel drive and mud/snow tires :)

I am fascinated by these ubiquitous, marinated pork or veal strips.  Their origin seems to be Turkish cuisine but they are commonly prepared in German households with mushroom sauce.  I would guess that they are marinated in olive oil, garlic, oregano and parsley.

Chili is not a part of German cuisine but I willed it into being today :)

German Geschnetzeltes Chili

1 lb pork tenderloin strips, marinated with fresh garlic, parsley, oregano and 2 tbsp of olive oil for 1 hour

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 each, red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp powdered coriander

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups chicken broth

2 cans chickpeas, drained

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Sour cream

Scallions, sliced

Fresh oregano leaves, chopped

Sear the pork strips in a hot frying pan then remove and set aside.  Add the tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along with the onion, garlic and bell pepper.  Saute until the onion is soft.  Add the oregano, cumin, coriander and tomato paste, then cook stirring for about 2 minutes.  Stir in the chicken broth, salt, pepper and the seared pork.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes.  Add the chick peas and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve the chili in bowls and top with the sour cream, scallions and oregano.