A few weeks ago lovely friends came over for dinner, and I served a slightly meaty chili loaded with poblanos, kidney beans, and scented with star anise. It was “really good chili” (their words, not mine). While it may seem underwhelming for a dinner gathering, it is affordable for a crowd, versatile, and incredibly flavorful if you’re willing to spend a few minutes chopping.
Knives at the ready!
Seasonally-Appropriate Chopping Music: “Otherside” by Red Hot Chili Peppers (Chef’s pick), “Winter Song” by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson, “So What” by Miles Davis, “Who’ll Stop the Rain” by Creedance Clearwater.
My Chili Formula
I’m calling it a formula because if you can ditch a recipe for any cooking moment, it’s chili. Fair warning, this is not for cook-off folks. It calls for fresh aromatic vegetables and meat, but canned beans and tomatoes.
Any meat or beans will do.
Any aromatic vegetables you have on hand will be lovely.
Any form of canned tomatoes works.
Chili is that flexible (you probably know already). It’s about a nice ratio of each ingredient to the others, and ample seasoning. Here are general measurements for the main ingredients that yield five to seven bowls. I often add several garlic cloves, especially during the current respiratory virus season.
Shopping Smart
Chili powder. Buy a blend with a few added spices, or pure ground ancho chili powder for more heat. Read the label and avoid ones with fillers like silicone dioxide, sugar, or salt. You’re not getting your money’s worth. Cheaper powders often mean you need more to get the same spice level.
Meat. Pastured turkey, chicken, beef or pork, and even bison and lamb add protein, texture, and umami. Or make use of leftover shredded meat or rotisserie chicken pickings. Two to three cups of shredded meat is a rough equivalent of one pound of ground.
Beans. For quick work of chili, buy canned or boxed beans with no added salt. I like Northern, kidney, black, and small red beans for chili. If you’re in the mood for a long simmer, use dried beans and enough liquid to cover all the ingredients until the beans are tender.
Canned tomatoes. Diced, crushed, whole, or sauce, use what you have on hand or what’s on sale. You can always blend or mash whole tomatoes with the juices before adding them to the pot. Fire-roasted tomatoes add an enticing, smoky aromatic element.
My Chef’s Tips
Salt as you go. Add a pinch of coarse salt as you add each ingredient to the pot. Add enough salt that matches the amount of said ingredient. A tiny sprinkle for garlic, a few large pinches for a pound of beans.
Use the bean liquid. Use the liquid in the can(s) of beans. It adds body and nutrients to the chili.
Experiment with spices and ground chilis. Go nuts with ground and whole spices. In the winter, I add whole spices like star anise and clove to simmering chili. Ground cinnamon and cocoa powder both add richness and help create that beautiful deep color of a blue ribbon chili. Look for pure ground chili powder in the Latin section of the grocery store.
Edible Epilogue
I am routinely surprised when teaching how many adults aren’t comfortable holding a chef’s knife. So grab a sharp one, curl back the fingertips of your non-dominant hand, go slow, and chop a few more vegetables than you did last week.
Whatever you do, don’t touch your eyes while dicing the chilis.
Eat + be well,
Christina
P.S. You can now comment on my recipes and newsletters! If you have any favorite chili ingredients, I’d love it if you shared them. Please keep comments civil, rudeness won’t be tolerated. If you have trouble with a recipe, email me directly by hitting reply.
Turkey & Kidney Bean Chili
Swap in any chili or bell peppers you like, any meat, or make it vegan with loads of beans. Season and taste at least three times, looking for a balance of heat, savory flavor, and saltiness. Salt as you cook, the level is a personal and dietary preference, so I don’t list a measurement below.
Ingredients
1 yellow or red onion, peeled, stem removed, and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced
2 poblano peppers, seeds and stem removed, diced
1 Anaheim pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced
1 jalapeño, seeds and stem removed, minced, optional
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 pound of ground raw turkey or other meat, room temperature
3, 14-ounce cans of diced tomatoes (fire-roasted if you can find them)
2, 14-ounce cans of kidney beans*
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of chili powder spice blend**
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, optional
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, optional
1 to 2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses, optional
2 whole star anise, optional
Sour cream, greek yogurt, or crème fraîche, optional garnish
Green onions or chives, sliced, optional garnish
Method
Chop the vegetables. Chop the onion, peppers, and garlic as described in the ingredient list. Mise en place, friends! 😄
Sauté the aromatics and peppers. Heat a coating of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, and sauté the onion and peppers until softened and lightly brown. Add the garlic, and sauté until aromatic while stirring constantly, about a minute.
Add the meat, tomatoes, beans, and spices. Add the ground meat, and break it up with a spoon as it browns. Once the meat is cooked through, add the tomatoes and beans (and water or stock if using dried beans, see note). Then the chili powder, cinnamon, cocoa powder, molasses, and star anise, and stir well to combine.
Simmer and adjust. Simmer the chili over medium heat for at least 30 minutes. Add water or cooking stock as necessary to maintain a slightly thick consistency. Alternatively, raise the heat to boil away excess liquid for thicker chili.
Season, taste, and serve. Taste the chili, and add more salt, chili powder, and spices until you like it. Dig out any whole spices (or warn people). Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream, sliced herbs, or hot sauce for a spicier bite.
Note
*If cooking dried beans, add them with the tomatoes and spices and then add enough warm water or stock to the pot to completely cover all the ingredients by half an inch. Simmer over medium heat until the beans are very tender, about an hour and a half, adding more water or stock as necessary.
**If you use pure ground ancho chilis or similar, you may want to add less as it will be spicier. Start small and taste as you go. Adding tablespoons of onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and coriander adds smoky, savory flavors.