dlyn

This is a little different than my usual, beef based chili. A little smokey, a little lighter, a little splash of lime juice. It’s also just a little good, which is why you should give it a try.

First thing – get a heavy dutch oven good and hot – with a couple tablespoons of olive oil in there. Ground turkey is lean stuff and it doesn’t brown easily. You want to brown it because that brings more flavor. So, when the oil is nearly smoking, put the turkey in there and leave the heat as high as it will go. Go chop your veggies and DO NOT touch that turkey for awhile. 5 minutes at least. Then you can stir it to get the un-browned bits on the bottom. That is about and pound and quarter of ground turkey.
Once the turkey is getting nicely browned, add a couple stalks of chopped celery, a medium onion [or 2], chopped and a couple red and/or green sweet peppers, also chopped. And a good sprinkle of kosher salt, plus about 12 grinds of fresh cracked pepper. The amount of all of that is up to you – as is how finely you chop them. Who am I to tell you what to do? For me – I like lotsa veggies and I like them in pretty good sized chunks. Mix them in there and leave the heat high – get a little color on them if you can – or just cook until the onion begins to become a bit translucent.It is at this point that you must make a decision. How much garlic is too much? This is 3 big cloves of some pretty strong stuff, smashed and finely chopped. I don’t think this is too much, but if you do – then put in less. Put it in there and stir it around for a couple minutes, but don’t let the garlic brown – it gets bitter.Next up – the tomatoes. I used about 3 pounds of my own frozen stewed tomatoes. A couple of 28 ounce cans of the store bought ones will work nicely. Break them apart some as you stir them in.Now for the good stuff – the seasonings. This is what I started with:
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 tablespoon New Mexico chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
I simmered all of that for about an hour and then tasted to see if I needed to add anything more. I always need to add more. Before it was all said and done, I added another teaspoon salt, another tablespoon cumin, another teaspoon of chipotle chili powder and another 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke. Be careful with chipotle chili powder – it is hotter than normal chili powder. It’s one of my favorite substances on earth. Then I added two cans of drained and rinsed black beans.Simmer that for another 45 minutes or so. Then, add the juice of 1 lime and let it bubble away for another 5 minutes.We like to top it with sour cream and cheese. Sometimes with a little hot sauce too but I got it plenty hot with that second teaspoon of chipotle chili powder.A satisfying dinner on a cool fall evening. Or just a cup, for lunch Then – try the muffins right below, in the next post. A match made in heaven!

I decided that my Turkey Black Bean Chili needed some company – something a little special. So I tweaked my usual corn bread around a little and came up with these muffins. Corn, jalapenos and lime just go togther as far as I’m concerned.Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease a muffin tin or use liners. I like to do these right in the tin because they get a nice crunch on the outside that way. Then, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together:
1 & 1/2 cups cornmeal – stoneground preferably, the regular stuff works fine too
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teasoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
the grated zest from 1/2 of a medium lime
In another bowl, or a 2 cup measuring cup, which is what I like to use, mix together:
1 cup lowfat buttermilk [reg milk will work fine if that is what you have]
1 egg
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
juice from 1/2 lime
1 finely minced jalapeno pepper [this is one of my frozen ones]
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and just like you learned in 7th grade Home Ec, stir just until all the ingredients are combined, making sure to get any dry bits off the bottom mixed in.I like a rubber spatula for this because you can fold the ingredients efficiently without mixing too much. Miss Blieler would be disappointed if you mix your muffins too much because they will tough and chewy instead of light and crumbly.Spoon carefully into the greased tin. Again try not to stir the batter around too much – gentle handling pays off when it comes to muffins.Bake about 14 minutes and then cool briefly on a wire rack.Serve with butter and preferably with some nice chili, like the Turkey Black Bean Chili right up above. Try not to eat them all at once, but if you do, I am sure everyone will understand. And you can always make more.