David Saint-Jacques' space chili recipe

To add variety to the standard Space Station menu, crew members can request a selection of some of their favourite foods. David Saint-Jacques enjoys a special chili, inspired by his wife's con caribou chili recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion (or two small), chopped
• 8-10 mushrooms, chopped (1 ½ cups or 375 ml)
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 pepper, chopped
• ½ cup (125 ml) corn kernels
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 lb (450 g) of ground meat (original recipe is made with caribou, space version is made with bison and the version in the video uses beef)
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. cinnamon (more or less!)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can (150 ml) tomato paste
• 1 tsp. honey or maple syrup
• ¾ cup cooked French lentils (du Puy)
• 1 can (800 ml) diced tomatoes
• Hot sauce, to taste
• 1 apple, shredded

Preparation

Prior to preparing the chili, cook lentils according to package directions.

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the other vegetables to sear them, set aside.
4. In the same pot, cook meat and spices.
5. Add tomato paste and continue cooking for 5 minutes, while stirring.
6. Add all ingredients, including the vegetables that were set aside.
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring frequently.

Explore further

• Mission activities
• Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques' mission
• Activities and experiments