Turkey Tomatillo Chili

I’d like to take a minute to tell you how happy I am that fall seems to have arrived. It’s been a hot summer, but right now, the days are sunny but cooler and the nights are crisp. I know it’s still possible for the temperatures to soar again, or for there to be a Hot-tober for a third year, but for now, I’m comfortable. Sigh.

This cooler weather and the beginning of the televised football season (I’ve had another grumpy baseball year, so have more or less given up on that sport for now) means chili, of course. It also means bratwurst and bean dips and grilled potatoes and such, but my most recent indoor tailgating meal involved a light and tangy chili with ground turkey, peppers and tomatillos.

 

This recipe is based on the Turkey Chili Verde recipe from The Ultimate Cook Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. I suppose you could find other similar ones out there, but these authors publish reliable recipes. I’d made this one before, keeping closer to the original, which contains poblano chiles. Again, I had nice bell peppers and jalapenos instead, so I substituted them with good results. I also skipped the step of roasting the peppers. I think I must have just done that because I was too tired to include the extra step.

While I’m sure roasting (or grilling) the peppers would have added more deliciousness (I can’t remember whether I did that when I made this chili a few years ago), my chili was quite good with plain peppers. I used a red bell pepper, which erases the “verde” part of the original, but which is also nice and sweet (and was what I had on hand). This time of year all the peppers seem to be excellent, so I think any bell pepper will do.

 

Really, the tomatillos are the most important part of this chili recipe anyway.  I just love them. They’ve got a texture and acidity like extra-firm tomatoes, but also an especially tangy, kind of fruity punch that goes so well in a light chili. The original recipe gives permission to use canned tomatillos, and I’d say that if that’s all you have available, they make a fine substitution. I had some lovely fresh ones from the farmer’s market. They were so delicious and really didn’t require much extra preparation. Yes, the papery husks need to be removed, but they come off easily. They should also be scrubbed or rubbed well with a brush or cloth to get the slightly sticky residue off their skins.

 

Since this is basically the same as any other chili or stew, there’s just a lot of chopping and simmering and waiting. Waiting while it slowly bubbles away to make a rich, meaty, tangy, spicy and satisfying bowl of hot and comforting goodness to celebrate the arrival of fall.
 

Turkey Tomatillo Chili

Adapted from The Ultimate Cook Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
½ teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt, plus more to taste
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 (more or less to taste) jalapeno chiles, stems removed, minced
1 to 1 ¼ pound ground turkey
1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed, scrubbed and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or about 1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked white beans (about 2 16-ounce cans), drained and rinsed
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and salt and sauté until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and chiles and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds more.

2. Add the turkey to the pan and cook, stirring to crumble, just until it is all no longer pink. This should take about 5-8 minutes. Add the tomatillos, oregano and cumin and cook about 1 minute more, stirring frequently.

3. Add the chicken broth and beans. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook, uncovered, at a very low boil for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste for salt and add more if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings

 

Other recipes like this one: Chorizo and Chipotle Chili, Squash and Pinto Bean Chili, Beef Stew with Tomatillos and Roasted Poblano Chiles

Chili Comfort

Right about now, most of us probably need a little comfort. Perhaps you’re mourning the loss of the last of the leaves still clinging desperately to increasingly skeletal trees. Perhaps the autumn weather has finally blown in with a vengeance (or a tornado). Perhaps a raging blizzard sneaked up on you and blew away your plastic swimming pool. Whatever the comfort you might need, a bowl of sweet and spicy chili ought to do the trick.


This is a vegetarian concoction stuffed with butternut squash and pinto beans and spiced with a chipotle chile, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. I’m always looking for more exciting ways to use winter squash, and it was about time to try a new chili recipe. I might be taking some liberties in calling this chili and not just stew. I based it on two similar recipes in different issues of the same magazine, and one called it “stew” while the other called it “chili.” Since I used it as a sort of tailgate-style comfort for all the silliness of televised professional football (prima donna players, bad officiating, analysts who won’t admit that certain teams or players aren’t as good as they thought, and color commentators, who can barely string words together into a coherent sentence, wetting themselves over superstars), I’m calling it chili.

This chili is a role model for the sweet and spicy flavor combination that I love so much. The butternut squash and corn are sweet and the chipotle chile is very spicy. The tangy tomatoes and splash of cider vinegar bring it together and the beans provide heft and body as well as a creaminess that matches the texture of the squash. The smokiness of the chile, cumin and smoked paprika kick this even more into comfort mode for me, since I can’t build a cozy fire in my apartment living room (legally.)

You could use just about any of the winter squashes for this recipe (except spaghetti squash), but I find butternut to be the easiest to peel and chop. Chipotle chiles can be very spicy, so if you want this to be milder, use less than a whole chile, or just replace it with a small amount of crushed red pepper flakes to taste (which won’t be as smoky). I buy chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce and after I use the first one from the can, I freeze the rest, sauce and all, in a zip-top bag. When I need another chile, I just pry one out from the frozen mass or chop off a chunk. They last a long, long time.

Whether it’s sports or the weather or just a mediocre dinner repertoire that’s got you down, perhaps curling up with a bowl of Squash and Pinto Bean Chili can provide some consolation. That and the fact that the Yankees aren’t in the World Series this year.

Squash and Pinto Bean Chili
Based on recipes in Cooking Light magazine

2 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 ½ teaspoon salt, divided
3 cups peeled butternut squash cut into ½ to ¾ inch cubes
3 cloves minced garlic
1 chipotle chile (canned in adobo sauce), finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted (do not drain)
1 cup water
1 cup frozen corn
3 cups pinto beans (about 2 15-16-ounce cans) rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Heat the canola oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Add the pepper, onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Saute about 5 minutes, or until the pepper and onion are just beginning to brown. Add the squash and sauté about 3 minutes more, or just until the squash is beginning to brown.

2. Add the garlic, chipotle chile, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

3. Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently, about a minute or so, or until the liquid begins to thicken.

4. Add the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cook at a gentle boil for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the corn and pinto beans. Return to a gentle boil and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the vinegar. Taste for salt and add more if desired.

Makes about 6 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Chorizo and Chipotle Chili, Chickpea Stew with Dried Apricots

One year ago: Black Beans with Beets and Oranges

Chili Weather

It’s prime season for tailgating (even if it’s in a cozy living room). Football is going strong, the Twins are in the playoffs (sorry, Tiger fans), and the National Hockey League has just begun its season. I don’t really know if hockey fans actually tailgate. I always intend to follow hockey, and, well, never actually do. The point is, the grills are fired up for brats and burgers, but it suddenly got cold outside. A good chunk of autumn has been skipped over, and there’s snow in the forecast. (Seriously!) Diehards will still get out the grill, but why not cozy up with a pot of chili instead?

There seem to be more ways to make chili than there are people to eat it. Cook up a well-seasoned stew of meat and/or veggies and/or beans and you have chili. There must have been a line drawn somewhere, but I’m darned if I know where the heck it is. Beef, chicken, pork, sausage, tomatoes, tomatillos, black beans, red beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, vegetarian, multiple meats, this must be in it, that is taboo, noodles, rice…need I go on…really? And the passion involved! Forget soap operas. Let’s film some chili operas! If you’re serious about chili, only your way is right. I, however, am willing to give peace a chance when it comes to chili, and try them all. Can’t we all be right just this once?

My brother makes a mean chili. It’s based on the chili my mom always made, but he’s cranked it up several notches on the Scoville scale. (We’re more demanding when it comes to spice than my staunchly Midwestern parents.) I could make that chili, I suppose, but being a part of chili culture seems to mean coming up with your own chili recipe. My problem is that I can never decide what style I like best, and would be happy trying one after the other until the end of the chili universe. I did try a great chili recipe with chorizo sausage from Cooking Light magazine many years ago, however, and my modified version seems to have caught on as “my” chili, as far as Harry is concerned. At least it is the one he always requests, and, for him, football season is the best time to eat it. My Chorizo and Chipotle Chili is chunky and meaty and spicy (its also alliterative), and there’s just a bit of chocolate thrown in at the end that gives it that something. You know, that something (aside from continuing the alliteration).

I have used both fresh (Mexican) and cured (Spanish) chorizo in this recipe, and both work well. The fresh chorizo, which I used when I took the photos in this post, is quite soft, and sort of melts into the chili, giving it a unique thickness. Using the Spanish chorizo results in a chunkier chili. The diced cured sausage keeps its firm, chewy texture. I think that if you wanted to make this vegetarian, you could replace the chorizo with another can of beans. Perhaps mashing some of them would help to thicken the chili like the fresh chorizo does. (Hmmmm…I might just have to try that!)

Even if you don’t like to watch sports, consider warming up with a bowl of hot chili this weekend. You can try this recipe, but I’m betting that, as part of honorable chili tradition, you just might have one that’s all your own!

Chorizo and Chipotle Chili Recipe
The sour cream garnish, to me, is reqiuired rather than optional because it somehow brings out the chocolate flavor in the chili. If you cannot find fire-roasted tomatoes, use regular tomatoes.

8 ounces Mexican or Spanish chorizo sausage, diced if using Spanish
1 chipotle chile canned in adobo sauce, minced
2 cups chopped onion
3 bell peppers, preferably of different colors (one can even be a poblano chile), chopped
1 teaspoon salt, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 (14-ounce) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes, such as Muir Glen brand. Do not drain.
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
sour cream and crumbled tortilla chips for serving

1. Heat a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook (breaking it up if using Mexican-style) until browned, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the onions, peppers and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often 7 minutes, or until the onions are beginning to brown, stirring often. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and cinnamon and cook 1 minute more.

3. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, corn and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the lime juice. Taste the chili and add a little more salt if necessary. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until melted. Serve garnished with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Makes 6-8 servings. I like to serve chili with a side of fresh-baked cornbread.