Turkey Chili- Prime Time Emerill

I've decided to start targeting cookbooks for a while so that I could make my way through each one that I own. Prime Time Emerill was actually one of Shawn's cookbooks from before we met. I say "was" because I consider them all to be mine now (sorry, babe!). I've made one other recipe from this, but have been peeking through for the past few weeks in search of whatever dish I was making that week and decided that this week I would just pick something from it.

That something was chili! I make turkey chili all the time, but typically do it armed with my crockpot and canned beans. I already love my chili, but figured I could try another variation to see if there was anything that I could do to make mine even better. The recipe seemed pretty simple and wasn't too crazy on the ingredient end. With the exception of beans from scratch... attempt number two!!

Like a good girl, I soaked my beans overnight this time! I wasn't sure how much to make.. I know that pasta and rice double up when cooked, but didn't know if dried beans did the same. I couldn't find any feedback on that, so decided to make the 4 cups needed for my recipe and I could use any extra in another dish later in the week. Turns out I'll be making something else this week because beans do, in fact, double when you soak and cook them. The next day, I found a larger batch of black and purple beans! It also turns out that you should soak white and black beans separately, or else you end up with colored white beans. It looks odd at first, but they settled into a greyish color that wasn't as noticable when in the final product. I rinsed them and simmered for another hour, skimming that nasty foam off it, and put them back in the fridge.

No wonder I use canned beans..... this doesn't seem worth the hassle in my opinion.....

Anyhow, I browned my ground turkey and spices, added the veggies, and simmered it all together with my homemade chicken broth for an hour and a half, until it got a little thicker. I took Emerill's advice and put it all away in the fridge to eat the next day- because that's when chili is at it's best.

Side Note/ Cooking Tip- I get a big package of split chicken breasts when they are on sale for $1 a pound; skin them, and put them in the crock pot overnight. Even better, sometimes I add the leftover carrots and celery that I keep in a bag in the freezer. The next day you end up with beautifully shredded chicken and about a gallon of homemade chicken broth. I keep the broth in a Rubbermaid pitcher in the fridge and use it for everything- basting, sauces, whatever. It's easy to pour and stores right on the door. Fabulous.

The next day, I heated up half of the chili on the stove. It was a little watery but the beans were, thankfully, cooked to the right consistancy. Score for me! The taste was nice, and the consistancy was great, but I have to be honest- I like my own better. I prefer the thickness that crushed tomatoes give and I add corn and more vegetables which is just a personal preference. Oh, and mine is made in the crockpot, so it cooks while I'm at work. I did, however, like that making this recipe gave me tips to improve what I already do! I loved the addition of fresh cilantro and think I also might try replacing jalepeno with a shot of Sriracha hot sauce, which I did my bowl when I needed an extra kick. And best of all; I finally made dried beans that tasted good!

I had just enough left over to put aside in the freezer for chili mac in the future. I love a meal that keeps on giving!

Turkey Chili- Prime Time Emerill
2T olive oil
1- 1 1/4 lb lean ground turkey
2T chili powder
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped & seeded tomatoes
2T minced fresh cilantro
2 tsp seeded & minced jalepenos
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 cups each black & whilte cooked or canned beans
4 cups chicken stock

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy stockpot over med-high heat. Add the turkey, chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until the turkey loses it's pink color, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, and cook until they soften, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, jalepeno, and garlic and cook to blend the flavors, about 3 minutes.

2. Stir in the beans and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to med-low. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately.