Black Bean and Turkey Chili
Simple and Satisfying
Black Bean and Turkey Chili | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
Well into my adulthood my cooking skills were at best rudimentary. I would scramble an egg, sauté a chicken breast and steam some broccoli, or boil some pasta and top it with jarred tomato sauce. At times I would eat a bag of Doritos and call it dinner.
When I decided to eat more adventurously and broaden my cooking horizons, it seemed to me that making chili would be an easy jumping off point. It wasn’t. I don’t recall what the problem was, just that I couldn’t make a decent pot of chili. Perhaps since it was my first attempt at combining multiple ingredients and using spices, I was likely to fail at whatever I tried. Whatever the reason, I gave up and slowly started testing out other recipes, including curries, soups, braises and roasts, with much better results.
I learned a lot by doing and eventually tackled chili again. And this time it was a snap—and not just decent, but good. I began soaking dried beans instead of always relying on canned, and explored cooking with all sorts of hot peppers. With so many variations of chili to be had I played around with a lot of recipes, like fast skillet chili with canned pinto beans and diced tomatoes, chicken chili with white beans, and Texas chili with no beans at all.
I came to see that chili is a tried-and-true one-pot meal (two pots if you add rice and cook it separately) that can handle just about any ingredient you want to throw at it. It can get as complicated as you like—a chili gumbo, perhaps, or a tamale pie—or flat-out simple, like this Black Bean and Turkey Chili by Catherine Walthers from her book “Soups + Sides” published by Lake Isle Press. This recipe relies on ingredients like canned beans and tomatoes that you can have at the ready; I used frozen corn as well. Just dice the onion, peppers and garlic and you’re on your way. It would be even a little easier if you brown the turkey first in the same pot; remove and set aside, drain the fat if there is too much in the pan, then add the onions and go on from there.
I followed the recipe almost to the letter, but since I was unsure about adding cocoa powder or molasses, I played it safe and used a half a tablespoon of both. And 3-4 cups of water seemed like a lot, so I used 2 cups to start and added another half a cup or so along with the beans. The chili was wonderful, richly flavorful with a nice buzz of heat, so I’ll feel free to add a little more next time I make it. When I reheated the leftovers, I added some roasted cauliflower I had on hand because, why not? I also served it on brown rice and garnished it with crumbled blue corn chips.
Basic chili can be so simple to make it’s tempting to get locked into autopilot and make the same version over and over. But variations are so easy that new recipes or ingredients should be required cooking at least some of the time. You can add just about any veggie or legume you have on hand—sweet potatoes, maybe, or zucchini or turnips, or use lentils instead of beans—or unexpected ingredients chocolate, espresso powder, peanut butter, or beer and toppings like cilantro, avocado, radishes, or cheese that can keep things interesting. This recipe got me to shake up my chili routine with cocoa powder and molasses—and sub black beans in for my usual kidney beans. Not as easy as tearing open a bag of Doritos, but I’m not complaining.
BLACK BEAN AND TURKEY CHILI RECIPE
Click here for printable recipe.
Chock full of vegetables and barley, this soup gets a nice flavor from the addition of Parmesan rinds during cooking, plus the fresh herbs at the end. You can cut the rind off a hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or check out your cheese department, which sometimes sells the rinds together in a container. If Parmesan rinds are unavailable, you can substitute a quart of chicken broth for the water to help flavor the soup. If you have basil pesto, you can add a dollop of that into each soup bowl instead of chopping the parsley and basil. Freeze any leftovers.
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (28-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes, with juices
3 to 4 cups water
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 dried chipotle pepper or ⅛ teaspoon cayenne or ground chipotle pepper*
1 pound ground white- or dark-meat turkey
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
Kernels from 2 ears fresh corn (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa or 1 ounce (1 square) dark chocolate (optional)
1 tablespoon molasses (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
PREPARATION
In a large heavy pot over medium heat, place 2 tablespoons olive oil and the onion and sauté, about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers and continue to cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin and stir for another minute.
Add the tomatoes, water, oregano, and chipotle pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes.
While the chili is simmering, cook the turkey in 2 teaspoons oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as you go, just until it loses its pink color. Drain the fat and add the turkey to the chili, along with the beans, corn, cocoa, molasses, and salt and pepper to
taste. Bring to a boil again, and then simmer another 10 to 15 minutes until all the flavors are incorporated. Taste again for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Remove the chipotle pepper.
Ladle into bowls and top with the chopped cilantro.
* Dried chipotle peppers are found in grocery stores with other dried chiles. Essentially a smoked jalapeno pepper, dried chipotles add flavor to chilis. Drop one into the pot while the chili is cooking and remove at the end as you would with a bay leaf.
Recipe from “Soups + Sides” by Catherine Walthers, Lake Isle Press, 2010
Black Bean and Turkey Chili Recipe
from “Soups + Sides” by Catherine Walthers, Lake Isle Press, 2010
“People are returning to real foods, locally grown—encouraging cooking that reflects ingredients in season.” —Catherine Walthers
A companion to Walthers’s popular “Raising the Salad Bar,” this handy cookbook is an expertly compiled collection of playful yet elegant recipes for soups that are made with fresh ingredients and are just right for any meal or occasion. Whether you mix and match your favorite soups and sides or enjoy them separately, it will dare you to think beyond the everyday and pull you out of your soup slump.
OTHER RECIPES FROM THIS BOOK
Beef Stew Recipe
Carrot-Ginger Soup Recipe
Cheddar Biscuits Recipe
Classic Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Honey-Dijon Salmon Bites Recipe
Minted Honeydew Soup with Lime Spice Cookies Recipe
Potato-Leek Soup Recipe
Quick French Lentil Soup Recipe
Winter Vegetable Soup Recipe