Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili

I bought a huge amount of beans for my $4.50 a day food stamp diet from way back. Since I had so much extra, I figured chili was the perfect way to use them up (just in time to celebrate the cold weather). To save money, I boiled the chicken bones from previous meals with water to make the chicken broth; it’s a trick my mom does all the time.

This is a super easy one pot recipe adapted from Bon Appétit; however, I have the ability to screw up any recipe.

I wasn’t thinking and added quintuple the chocolate amount. Quintuple! I was tasting and it seemed ok… until all the chocolate melted simultaneously and I was left with a pot of chocolate soup with tomatoes and meat. Not cool. Unfortunately, I also used some unsweetened chocolate from Peru – 100% pure bitterness, which didn’t help the problem one bit. Basically it was awful.

To fix it, I had to “wash” the chili several times over: basically, I put the chili in a sieve and ran water through it until the excessive bitter chocolate flavor was gone. I re-added the tomatoes, chicken broth, and spices.

Problem solved! It’s filling and hearty, especially with toppings, cornbread, and a salad. Anyways, the great thing about cooking is that it’s way more forgiving than baking

Ingredients
CHILI
1 small onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb ground turkey
1 tablespoon each: chili powder/paprika, cumin, dried oregano, crushed red pepper
4 jalapenos
1 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained
1 cup lima beans
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
salt and pepper

TOPPING
plain yogurt or sour cream
cilantro
cheddar cheese, grated

Directions
Sauté onion, bell peppers and garlic over high heat until vegetables begin to soften. Add turkey and sauté until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Mix in chili powder/paprika, cumin, oregano, and crushed red pepper and stir 1 minute.

Add jalapenos, pinto beans, tomatoes with juices, broth, and chocolate. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until chili thickens. Add cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot. Top with plain yogurt or sour cream, cilantro, and cheese.