Apparently tonight was the Superbowl. Since I didn't know what teams were playing until today, one could conclude that I'm not much for football. I did debate making party type foods, but decided to make a favorite dish of my husband's for dinner, something I call Chris' favorite chili.
I did not grow up eating chili. I recall the first time I was ever served it...I was a freshmen at college and had been invited to an art professor's house for dinner with the rest of the class. She was really nice and made us a batch of chili and served it with rice. I tried it but didn't like it. Four years passed before I experienced chili again. That time I was a nanny and in grad school. The woman I worked for made it and it was good. I learned to cook several meals from her, and a favorite cookbook at the time, the Silver Palate Cookbook. I began making chili myself, first using the Chili for a crowd recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook and then slowly adapting the recipe over the years to make it my own. Years later, I learned from Julie that adding cocoa to the chili makes the taste even better! So, this is my go-to chili recipe that my husband loves. Someday I'll get the kid eating it too....someday.
Here are the ingredients I used today: three cans of beans (2 kidney, one black) 1 pound of ground turkey, large can of crushed tomatoes, an onion, three cloves of garlic crushed, 2 T medium hot chili powder from Penzey's, 3 T cocoa powder, salt and pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano.
I finely chop up the onion and saute it in about a tablespoon of olive oil until it is translucent, then add the turkey to brown. To the meat I add some salt and pepper and the crushed/minced garlic. Once the meat is cooked I add the crushed tomatoes. To that I add the spices and cocoa, mixing well.
Then I add the beans, which I drain and rinse. I stir it up and let it cook on medium low for about 45 minutes. Taste and add a bit of salt and pepper if needed!
It is a very easy meal to make and turns out great every time! We usually serve it with some shredded cheddar on top.
Note: I haven't looked at that Silver Palate Cookbook in years, but need to dig it out now! If you have never perused it before, see if your local library has it. It is really old now, from the 1980s!! But it did have some great recipes in it. The authors also had another cookbook I used to use often called the New Basics. Both books were great!
