Turkey Chili

This past weekend, I went to a chili cook-off hosted by a true Texan chili maker. She put 20 pounds of beef (in 5 different cuts) into the chili and with the addition of smoked paprika, it was a smoky, meaty bowl of goodness. Between all the awesome food and party favors, this was a party that Willie Nelson would be impressed with. Whoa Nelly!

I digress. This post is not about the super-secret Texas award-winning chili recipe. This is about a chili I made the week before. Its a fairly basic chili recipe that can use any type of ground beef. I made it with ground turkey. And it included some beer. But I'm told not nearly as much beer as my friend's awesome chili. Or perhaps there was another secret ingredient. But Willie ain't talkin'.

Without further adieu, here is a basic turkey chili recipe.

 

Turkey Chili (serves 8)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• 2 lbs ground turkey 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper 
• Pinch of all-purpose flour
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 TB chili powder 
• 1 TB ground cumin 
• 1 bottle dark beer
• 2 cups water 
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed, crushed tomatoes
• 4 chipotle peppers, diced
• 1 TB honey  
• 2 cups cooked black beans   
• 1 lime, juice only  
• 1 TB cumin 

Directions:

Heat up oil over high heat in a large pan with a lid. Lightly dust meat with flour. Once your oil is hot, brown the meat for a few minutes. The goal here isn’t to cook the meat, it’s just to brown it a bit and get some flavors going in the pan.

After a few minutes, remove all meat and set it aside.

Add 4 Tablespoons of oil to the pan. Add red onions and start to cook them down. After a few minutes add garlic. After another minute or so add all chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin. Then add the beer.

Stirring pretty steadily, let the beer cook down in your onions and chili for about 10 minutes. It should reduce by about half.

Add your meat back to the mix and then add all your other ingredients except the beans. Give it a good stir and bring it to a simmer.

Let this cook down on low heat, covered, for about 45 minutes. Give it a stir every 15 minutes or so.

Once chili has cooked for about 45 minutes, uncover it and add beans and continue to cook it for another 15 minutes or so until it is nice and thick.

Serve with your favorite toppings, I kept it simple with green onions and cheese, but I'm sure sour cream and guacamole would have been equally as tasty.

 

CFC Chili Cookoff

Last week, I participated in my first-ever chili cookoff. This was an event organized at our office to raise money for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), a government-led initiative to raise money for non-profit organizations. I was one of 15 entries within our division at the Department of Health and Human Services.

We had a lot of different types of chili enter the competition, from super hot firewater chili to a savory turkey chili, carved right off the bone. I opted to make a Cincinnati-style chicken chili. You may remember me posting this recipe.

I decided to revisit this recipe, altering the ratio of spices a little bit and using a crock-pot to let it simmer overnight. I think this is the best version I've ever made of this chili. I believe a large part of it was the crockpot. I had to actually borrow one, as I typically use a dutch oven. But I may now be a convert.

While my chili didn't take home the big prize (but it did win second place for "People's Choice"), the big winner in this scenario are the charities that will benefit from our efforts. This competition raised nearly $400 for CFC. And I even managed to educate a few people who had never heard for a sweet and spicy chili. A win-win all around. Mission accomplished.


White Bean Chicken Chili

I'm back!!! And ready to wreak havoc in the kitchen like the Frankenstorm is wreaking havoc on the East Coast.

After 24 hours in flight back to the states, I arrived last week exhausted, but absolutely thrilled about my trip. Thailand was a true culinary masterpiece from fine meals, street food, and a cooking class, I'll have a lot to share over the next week or two. But in case you've been living under a rock, we're in a severe weather advisory here in DC and what better way to hunker down for cold, wet weather than to make a hearty chili.  So here's what I made yesterday. More savory than spicy, this is great for this weather. And I'll be eating it until I lose power.

White Chicken Chili (serves 6)

 

 

Ingredients



2 TB olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds ground chicken

1 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning

2 TB ground cumin

1 TB fennel seeds

1 TB dried oregano

2 tsp chili powder

3 TB flour

2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces

11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

 

Directions

In a duth oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

 

Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the chili into serving bowls and sprinkle wit parmesean cheese and chopped parsley.