We change our chili recipe up around our house quite a bit.

Most of the time there is not a recipe, we just add what sounds good and use ingredients we have on hand.

Paul was always the chili cook until more recently.  I wasn’t working and he was working full time and it just made sense for me to do the cooking.

Recently, since he retired he made ‘his’ chili.  It was good as always but he kept asking me what ingredients he had used years ago.  There again, no recipe.

This Turkey Chili is my recipe and is my usual go-to recipe.  It is a little spicy so according to who I’m making it for I may make it less spicy.  But we like it spicy.

One of the key ingredients in this chili is the home-canned tomatoes. Every spring my step-father plants a big garden and one of the highlights of the garden is the tomatoes.  My mother uses an old pressure canner that has been around since I can remember.  All of the tomatoes that don’t get eaten when picked freshly from the vine, get canned in quart Ball jars.  She happily gives my sister, my niece and me canned jars of tomatoes throughout the year.  I always try to ration mine so they will last all winter.  They are perfect for soup and chili recipes.

My step-father and mother are getting older and our family is always telling them to stop planting such a big garden.  But they are determined to keep it up and sometimes I wonder if it is so they can share their vegetables with us.  And we never turn them down.

 

If you don’t have home-canned tomatoes just use the store bought chopped tomatoes.

When I purchase them, I always try and look for the organic and BPA free ones.  There are several brands on the market t0day.

I like to buy tomato paste in a tube which can be stored in the frig for a long  time.  You can just use what you need, screw the top back on and store it until the next time you need some tomato paste.

This package of garlic cloves from Aldi is so easy to use and it tastes better than any packaged garlic I’ve found.  Normally I would peel my own fresh garlic because I’m not a fan of the jarred type and the garlic spice just doesn’t have the same taste as fresh.

We love our chili during the cold winter months.  There’s not much I like about winter but cooking soups and chili does make it more bearable.

Turkey Chili

1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can black beans chili beans (I use Bush’s Best.  Just use canned chili beans if you can’t find the black beans chili beans).  Do not rinse.
1 qt home-canned tomatoes (or use 28 oz chopped tomatoes store bought)
1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 envelope McCormick chili seasoning mix, hot
crushed red peppers to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Using a cast iron Dutch Oven cook the ground turkey and chopped onions on medium to low heat. Then add the chopped garlic, stir in and cook until fragrant and translucent.
Stir in the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and spices.
Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer as long as time allows.  I think it’s better the longer it simmers but if you’re short on time this recipe can easily be completed in 45 minutes.
Top with any optional toppings and enjoy on a cold winter night!

Dixie