From Scratch

The first time I had turkey chili, back when the idea was a novelty, it was so bland it was almost tasteless. Turkey is hardly full of flavor. A friend who made turkey chili would try to compensate for that by loading up on the hot stuff, giving everyone at the table a runny nose and a scorched palate unable to detect any flavor. Knowing almost nothing about cooking then, I began to pass up turkey chili at every opportunity, although the idea appealed to me.

Then I found this recipe, waaaay back in the DOS-only days of 300-baud modems, when online communication was just white text on a dark screen. It was posted on a cooking board — I was there mostly as a lurker hoping to learn — and seemed easy enough that even I could make it.

I’ve tried others since then but keep coming back to this one for its wonderful flavors. It’s not a five-alarm chili or any alarm at all, just the right combination of ingredients, seasoned perfectly. The first time I made it I was too inexperienced to even think of changing any ingredients and that proved lucky, because to my palate, almost nothing needed to be changed. The exception was the beans; I’ve significantly cut the sodium by rinsing and draining them, opting instead for a small amount of kosher salt early in the cooking. And over the years I’ve used some alternative ingredients with success, such as leaner ground breast, and I’ve listed them.

What did need changing were the directions, too nebulous for a novice and too dependent on a timer without any indication of what to look for. Now that I know how to cook, I use my senses more than a timer and I hope, if you’re just getting started in the kitchen, you’ll do so too. It’s how the pros cook.

If you wish to make this with a different method, see Chili Spices and Technique.

Ella’s Turkey Chili

Adapted from Melanie, surname unknown

2 TB olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup celery, diced or in 1/4″ slices
1 pound ground turkey or ground turkey breast
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 cups Water
1 - 2 ounces dried mild chiles, pasillas or poblanos, cut open but left whole*
1 TB paprika
1 TB chili powder
3/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 15-1/2 ounce can kidney, pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

*The dried pepper in the small, clickable photo is a New Mexico pepper, even milder than those listed.

In a 4 quart or larger Dutch oven or chili pot, heat the oil over medium heat until it’s shimmering and fragrant. Add the onion and celery — if you don’t hear a hiss the oil was not hot enough — and sweat for a few minutes, until the onion is just beginning to color and the celery is fragrant.

Stir in the garlic and let cook until the onion is just tender, a minute or so.

Add the ground turkey. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Break up the turkey and let cook, stirring from time to time and seasoning lightly once again, until the outside is no longer pink.

Add the bell peppers, stir, and cook until just becoming tender, 4 -5 minutes.

Stir in the tomato sauce, water, dried chiles, chili powder, oregano and cumin, blending well. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Check it now; it should still be rather liquid. If not, add just enough water to prevent scorching, a few ounces.

Stir in the beans. Simmer uncovered until the mixture is somewhat thick, 20 - 35 minutes. Remove dried peppers and serve.

If desired, top with shredded cheddar.

Serves 6

Ella’s notes: For maximum flavor, after removing the dried peppers, puree them in a blender and add them back into the pot. And because I eliminated the massive sodium from the can of beans, I do not use reduced-sodium tomato sauce. The regular kind has enough that combined with those few sprinkles of kosher salt, it ends up just right for me. Adjust accordingly, if need be. Sometimes I extend this by serving it over rice.

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