The other night I had a hankering for chili. But I had just gotten home from work and had no groceries. Bust. Those who have made chili before know that a pot of this usually takes a couple hours before all the juices have worked their magic on the meat, but I was determined (and procrastinating schoolwork). The taste of chili was already on my tongue and I HAD to have it.
So, I did a quick perusal of Food Network's website looking for a quicky chili. Who better to turn to than good ol' (slightly obnoxious) Rachel Ray. I admit that I have never tried any of her recipes before -- ever since I watched the episode where she made a hot dog salad I have been slightly turned off -- but I decided to give her a shot. I printed out a copy of Indian Summer Turkey Chili and drove up the street to Whole Foods. (It was a little after 7:30 I think.)
The only thing worth mentioning about the grocery trip was that an old Phil Collins song came on and I think that every person in Whole Foods knew the words (even if they wouldn't admit to this among friends) because on more than one aisle I walked down, random people were singing the lyrics under their breath (including myself) -- one of the clerks was happily stocking an aisle while whistling (in a warbly whistle like your grandmother would do) right along to the tune!
ANYWAY, I got home with my bag of groceries and whipped up a pot of chili in about 40 mins., and I was pleasantly surprised with how good it tasted. I think the way Rachel Ray got around having the meat simmer so long was the addition of a little barbecue sauce. I was skeptical of this since I figured for sure that the taste of bbq would overwhelm the chili, but it didn't at all. I enjoyed my chili so much that I ate the majority of the leftovers for lunch during the week.
Groceries for this meal:
6-pack Brooklyn Lager, $7.99 (Multipurpose item -- cooking AND drinking!)
1 red pepper, $2.69 (Does anyone else think this is an absurd price for ONE pepper?)
1 bag blue corn chips, $1.99 (I don't eat chili without tortilla chips.)
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce, $0.69
1 medium-sized yellow onion, $1.09
1 package frozen corn, $1.99
Cabot Extra Sharp cheddar cheese, $2.45 (another thing I do not eat chili without)
1.5 lbs. ground turkey, $10.28
1 jar of King Street Blues barbecue sauce, $5.39
1 jar of chili powder (I was out), $2.49
Total: $37.05 + tax (I could be willing to bet you could cut this price in half if you didn't shop at Whole Foods.)
Items I needed, but already had:
Worcestershire sauce
Cumin
Red chili flakes
Tabasco sauce
Grill seasoning (I used Paul Prudomme's, but any will do)
Olive oil
Light Sour Cream (a third thing I like to have in my chili)
I cut Rachel's recipe in half, which gives you four hefty bowls of chili, but as many as six.
Measurements of ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 - 1.5 lbs ground turkey
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon dark chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of hot sauce (you could do more here, but since I'm not a huge fan of hot sauce taste, I added a couple shakes of dried red chili flakes to give heat to the dish)
1 onion, chopped (set aside a quarter of it for topping the chili)
1 large pepper (any color you like - I used red), chopped
1/2 bottle of beer (this was actually what the full recipe called for, so you could go a little less, but not by much -- I just dumped a portion of what I was drinking into the pot!)
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of smoky barbecue sauce
1 cup of frozen corn kernels
Heat a pot over medium to medium high heat. Add olive oil and the turkey meat. Season the meat with: chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire and hot sauce (or chili flakes). Break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon into small crumbles.
Chop the onion, reserving 1/4 of it for topping the chili. Brown meat 5 minutes, then add onions and chopped bell peppers and cook 10 minutes more. Add beer and deglaze the pan, scraping up the drippings and cooking off the alcohol. Add tomato sauce and barbecue sauce and bring to a bubble. If using corn kernels add them now. Let chili simmer 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings and heat level to your taste. Remove from heat and serve. Top with your favorite toppings -- for me that includes sharp cheddar, sour cream and a little bit of onions with crumbled tortilla chips over the top!
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