Recipe Revamp:Turkey Chile

A really great recipe is never finished. After reading about Endless Simmer's impossible quest for recipe perfection, I began thinking about my own tried and true recipes and how I could revamp them.

The rain this week in the DC area has brought my mind to fall, and SOUPS, so the first place I turned to is the turkey chile recipe I've made for a few years now (courtesy by sister's friend Robin). The combination of the beer, chocolate, and molasses makes it a great recipe in its own right, but yesterday night I found a way to make it even better, with an ingredient that should be in every chile recipe from now on: chiles!

The recipe below is the same as previous, but includes two types of dried chiles, although the types can vary depending on what you have around. Adding the chiles at the beginning made the broth both rich and smokey, and added a level of depth that the chili that reminded me of mole. While this recipe was never very spicy to begin with, there was now a nice bite at the end. I also threw in some bell peppers for good measure, which went well with the smokiness of the broth.



Turkey Chile

• 2 strips bacon
• 1 medium onion
• 2 bell peppers, chopped into large pieces
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 dried ancho chile, deseeded and diced
• 1 dried New Mexico or California chile, deseeded and diced
• 16 oz. package ground turkey
• 2 T. chili powder
• 1 T cumin
• 2 t. paprika
• 1 t. oregano
• 1 t. cayenne pepper
• 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
• 14 oz. water
• 12 oz. beer--amber or darker brew preferred
• 1 c. frozen okra (optional)
• 1/2 c. frozen corn (optional)
• 2 T. molasses
• 1 T. dark chocolate
• Garnishes: cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, Fritos (if you don't want to make corn bread), and bacon from the first step.

1. In a dutch oven, cook two strips of bacon, cubed into small slices, and remove when cooked. Leave the bacon grease in the pot to use to cook the rest of the chili---the flavor you get out of it will really make this dish!
2. Dice 1 medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic and add to pot. Saute 2-3 minutes. Add in dried chilies and bell peppers, saute until onions are translucent.
3. Add in ground turkey-cook for 5 minutes (should only be partially cooked)--then add in your spices (more cayenne if you want a spicier finish) and then your beer, tomotoes, and water. Keep the mixture at a simmer for about an hour, adding more water as needed if the liquid level gets too low. 
4. After an hour, add in your molasses, chocolate, and optional frozen veggies as needed.  Cook additional 10-15 minutes until chili thickens to your likening. Season with salt and pepper---garnish with cheese, bacon bits, sour cream. Serve with corn bread.

A Chili day....

What a better use for a brand new french oven than a big pot of turkey chili on a cold day. I made the following for myself and Chris before Thanksgiving came over us and it turned out fantastic. The recipe was originally from my sister's friend Robin, and the ground turkey substituting for beef really takes a lot of grease out of the mix. You're left with a lot of flavor, and bacon bits to top it!

Turkey Chili by a warm fire!

Turkey Chile
Courtesy Robin Benson

2 strips bacon
1 16 oz. package ground turkey
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 T. chili powder
1 T cumin
2 t. paprika
1 t. oregano
1 t. cayenne pepper
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
14 oz. water
12 oz. beer--amber or darker brew preferred
1 c. frozen okra (optional)
1/2 c. frozen corn (optional)
2 T. molasses
1 T. dark chocolate
Garnishes: cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, Fritos (if you don't want to make corn bread), and bacon from the first step.

1. In a dutch oven, cook two strips of bacon, cubed into small slices, and remove when cooked. Leave the bacon grease in the pot to use to cook the rest of the chili---the flavor you get out of it will really make this dish!
2. Dice 1 medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic and add to pot. Cook until translucent
3. Add in ground turkey-cook for 5 minutes (should only be partially cooked)--then add in your spices (more cayenne if you want a spicier finish) and then your beer, tomotoes, and water. Keep the mixture at a simmer for about an hour. 
4. After an hour, add in your molasses, chocolate, and optional frozen veggies as needed.  Cook additional 10-15 minutes until chili thickens to your likening. Season with salt and pepper---garnish with cheese, bacon bits, sour cream. Serve with corn bread.

Everyone should roast their soups...

Roasted Chicken and Butternut Soup

So this is the second soup recipe I've used from Everyday Food in a week--and it's another fabulous one. The roasting helps speed up the cooking process, as well as gives the soups a really rich flavor, no matter what ingredients you use. The Roasted Chicken and Butternut Soup was amazing--nice, juicy chunks of chicken resting between creamy, butternut squash. This time I was better about seasoning, and the soup wasn't too salty (again--watch how much you add throughout the cooking process). You can go ahead and follow Everyday Food's recipe exactly, except I would adjust a few things:

• Roast the chicken in a separate pan so the grease from the meat doesn't mix with the vegetables. That way, when you're ready to add the roasted veggies to a pot to simmer, you can add a little broth to the pan and scrap out all the blackened bits that are stuck to the pan--those will be amazing in the soup.
• If you like a thicker soup, withhold 1 cup of broth from the pot until you mash up the veggies—4 cups makes a rather thin soup.

They've finally posted the recipes online here for the October issue (which sadly, is not in stores anymore) so you can make it yourself. I'm probably going to try all these recipes before the month is out, but you don't have to wait for me to try them:

• Roasted Beef, Mushroom and Barley Soup 
• Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Soup
  (see how mine turned out here)
• Smoky Roasted Potato Soup 
• Roasted Beet and Potato Borscht

Steps to Selecting a Food Magazine

Pulling the trigger on a food magazine is tough---I've had one for Cooking Light and Food & Wine but the first was too overwhelming (you'll have enough recipes for 5 years after 3 issues!) and the next was a little too travel focused for my taste (although it had some great regional cuisines).

I'm loving Everyday Food right now for a few reasons. First, it's quick--there's enough recipes to keep you interested and the departments are topics that actually appeal to my life (In Season; Tonight's Dinner, Tomorrow's Lunch; Dinner for One). Second, it JUST focuses on food so I don't feel like I'm wasting paper with travel, health, or beauty pages I never read. Finally, the recipes are really good.

So before I buy a year's worth, I wanted to make sure it would be a productive investment. I decided to buy the current issue and see how often I use it in a week.

My first recipe: 

Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Soup
Everyday Food

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cut into 1-inch cubes 2 medium eggplants, salt the pieces and add to a roasting pan. Add 1 small yellow onion (diced medium), 2 garlic cloves (unpeeled) and drizzle everything with olive oil (about 4 t.) Season with Salt and Pepper. In a second roasting pan, toss 1 can chickpeas (rinsed, drained, and patted dry) with 1-2 t. olive oil. Roast both pans until eggplant is golden and chickpeas are slightly crunchy and whistling (30-35 minutes).
2. Set aside chickpeas. Unpeel garlic and place in a pot with the eggplant, onion, and 4 cups unsalted chicken stock. Bring mixture to a simmer over a medium-high heat, and then mash together until soup is thick and chunky. Add chickpeas back into soup and season with salt and pepper. Top with oregano and plain yogurt (or goat cheese.

Edit 10/22/10:
I meant to link to this article The Washington Post ran earlier. There is another roasted eggplant soup at the bottom, but it seems much more complicated. If anyone tries it, let me know!