The Superbowl is on Sunday evening and if there is one thing I have learned over the years it’s that my husband simply l-o-v-e-s football. I didn’t grow up in a “football family” so this was all new to me at first. Over the years I’ve learned a few football season survival tips…like when the clock says there are 2 minutes left in the game it will probably be about a half an hour before it’s actually over; if my husband is screaming “YES” and clapping his hands like a maniac that means the Patriots just scored; and if the score is 63 to 3 it’s not a big deal if I need to ask my husband to get up off the couch to help with something in our real life, however if it’s 10 to 7 in the fourth quarter he ain’t goin’ nowhere.
I think a Chili Recipe is an appropriate farewell to the football season and definitely a wonderful wife tip! My chili is more of a stew-like dish than a slow cooked chili that simmers for half the day in a crock pot. (I make this recipe about once a week in the winter and we have dinner for 2 nights.)
You will need the following ingredients:
1 or 1 ½ lbs. ground turkey (I use 99% lean)
1 onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
1 can of black beans (15-16 oz.)
1 can of cannellini beans
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
To make it super awesome you can also add 1-2 cups of corn and 1-2 bell peppers
Prep all of your ingredients–Chop up all the veggies to a ¼-½” size, drain and rinse the beans, open the can of tomatoes and the package of turkey meat. (Seriously, open everything so you can just throw it together—it’s much easier that way!)
Take out a nice big ‘ol pot—you know, like the size you’d cook chili in!—and coat with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Turn the heat to medium-low and sauté the onions for 1-2 minutes, add the carrots and sauté for another 5-7 minutes (add chopped peppers if you have them for the last couple of minutes of your sauté). Add about 2-4 teaspoons of Aleppo or crushed red pepper, ½ tsp. of cumin (sometimes I use garam masala & coriander, too, but if you like to use chili powder then go ahead and use that) to coat the veggies, then add the garlic for the final minute or so.
Now that the veggies are softened and seasoned you can add the ground turkey and mix it in using a rubber spatula—you want it to cook part-way, but it doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through since you’ll be simmering it on the stove for up to 2 hours.
Add the beans and tomatoes, mix it up and add water to the pot until the meat and veggies are completely covered. If you want you can also add 1/2 cup of red wine and 1/2 cup of brown rice at this point–fancy pants!
Cover and bring to a boil and then turn down to a vigorous simmer and leave the lid slightly askew to allow the steam to escape. (If you are adding corn now’s the time.) Stir every 10-15 minutes to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot (and if it does start to stick turn that heat down a bit!) and let simmer for about 1.5-2 hours until the liquid is absorbed and it has the consistency of, well, chili!
Taste it, add salt & pepper, add more red pepper spice if you’d like and then serve it up. Top with some grated cheese, crack open a beer and enjoy! (You could even root for your husband’s team while you’re at it!)
