City Chick Cooks

24 kept me from going to better lighting for the pic. sorry.

surprisingly, i haven’t ever made chili. yesterday i was in the mood for a bowl of spicy hot turkey chili, so i thought it’d be a good time to try to make some.

i went through countless recipes and reached out to a couple friends (thanks RP and KW!) to see what kind of ratio to use – meat to beer/stock to tomatoes. i ended up using a very dark beer (i’m thinking next time i’ll use a pale ale or even chicken stock), 28 oz can of tomatoes, tomato paste and 1 can of beans.

it came out all right in the end. i’m pretty picky about my chili, and i think what i made last night was too tomatoey. it was because i didn’t let it simmer more than 20 minutes (not bc of lack of spice… trust me). 24 was starting- i had to quickly ladle up the bowls so my dinner guest and i could start watching. 🙂 my friend that came by for dinner and 24 thought it was great though, and he would tell me if it wasn’t. so at least i passed his test. next time, ill let it simmer for an hour and it’ll be perfect 🙂

i don’t have a recipe, because i honestly don’t know how much of any spice i used. i have to make it again to get it perfect, and when i do, ill be sure to keep track of what i put in and how much 🙂 for now, ill show you pics and give you a general outline.

not a good picture day =/

i started out with my mirepoix – onions garlic and jalapeno. i chopped up 2 smallish onions, 4 cloves of garlic and 1.5 jalapenos, seeds veins and all.

i ❤ onions. espesh crisp, white ones

threw them into my olive-oil coated pot over medium heat. put in 2 bay leaves as well. cooked those about halfway to translucent, then added my first layer of spices. i added salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne and a dash of cinnamon. i also put in a spoonful of chipotle salsa. and some tomato paste.

my, my. that tomato paste looks appetizing.

cook until the onions are translucent or close enough. then, add in 1 lb (or as close as you can find it) of ground turkey meat. you can also sub in ground soy crumbles here.

mmm watcha sayyy

using a wooden spoon and breaking up the meat, cook until the meat is no longer pink.

mmm that you only meant well?

well of course you did!

pour in a bottle of beer, or some chicken stock.

mmm watcha sayy

let it reduce…

mm that its all for the best?

then add a bit of hot sauce, your choice. i used mammoun’s hot sauce (LETHAL!) and i only used a very little bit bc of the jalapenos and cayenne that were already in there. also added another layer of spice – a bit of chili powder, cumin, S&P.

of course it is!

then add the crushed tomatoes and whatever type of beans you would like to use. i used kidney beans.

they had fun in the hot tub.

i added my third layer of spice – chili powder and cumin. this might seem weird – but i also added a touch of molasses, for smoky-sweetness, as well as a pinch of sugar. oh yeah, and salt.

i tried a little bit of the blackstrap molasses by itself... not yummy.

let it simmer, for longer than 20 minutes please. i could have let it simmer while i was watching 24, but i like to devote all my attention to either 24 or my stove. 24 won last night. and i’m ok with that.

let it simmer to get thick and yummy.

serve with cheese, onions, sour cream, chips, whatever you like. and chomp chomp away 🙂