“The chili I ate made for an explosive bathroom experience.  I don’t know how to put this delicately, but I missed the toilet entirely.” -Seth Green, American actor and comedian

Chili was never really something that interested me much, until my beautiful good friend Kara started bringing huge batches of it on snowboarding trips to save money.  After a day on the slopes, I can’t tell you how nice it is to curl up with a bowl of yummy chili and a piece of cornbread.  I started to crave it frequently, so I removed it from the backdrop of secluded Vermont cabins and pasted it right back onto the backdrop of everyday life.  There wasn’t any reason not to, if one is prone to thinking logically.

When my sister got married a few years ago, I went a week early to Malibu to help her with the last-minute madness.  (Such are the duties of a big sister and a maid of honor, after all.)  Literally the first thing I did when I walked off of the plane was make a giant batch of this chili and portion it into individual serving containers so we could all have easy, stress-free access to good food while we were running around like little Tasmanian Devils all week.  I failed to consider one fatal flaw in this well-intentioned plan, however:  the bottomless pit of a stomach inside my brother-in-law’s tummy.  The entire batch, which was supposed to last the entire week, was gone within 48 hours.  I guess that means it was pretty good, at least!

Each time I make this chili, it gets a little different…..a little better too.  It gets different, live, right there in the pot while you’re making it.  That seems to be the thing with chili – everyone’s got their own version, and everyone’s versions keep evolving and changing.  It’s kind of awesome that way.  There’s a method and a process, but that’s where the rules end.  The rest is imagination.  My version is about as healthy as you can get.  The only fat involved comes from a bit of cooking oil at the beginning, and whatever miniscule amount renders off of the ground turkey during the cooking process.  This chili is full of beans and vegetables, all of which are healthy.  And the wonderful spices, aromas, and flavors involved pack a huge punch.  You’d never know it was so good for you.  You’d just know it was good.

A couple of great bonus benefits to this recipe:  Number one, it freezes wonderfully.  This comes in very handy if you’ve got kids or if you’ve got a particularly busy week coming up and know you won’t have time to cook.  To reheat, just defrost in the refrigerator overnight and place on stovetop with a few tablespoons of water until it warms to the desired temperature.  As always, check for seasoning just before serving and make any necessary adjustments.  Number two, it gets better a day or two after being in the refrigerator after making it.  It’s a great recipe to make in advance for a party, or to make on a lazy Sunday for an upcoming mid-week night in.

Ingredients:

Neutrally-flavored oil, such as vegetable or canola

1 large onion, washed, peeled, and chopped into small dice (NOTE:  I use Sweet Onions when I make chili, but that’s only a personal preference.  Regular, household Yellow Onions will work just fine.)

1 lb. ground turkey meat (NOTE:  I used ground dark turkey meat for flavor, but you could go even leaner by using ground turkey breast meat only, or by using ground chicken.  It will still be delicious.  Promise.)

2-4 garlic cloves, minced (The amount you use here depends on size of cloves, and of course on your personal preference.  Me?  I love the garlic.  I’d go for 4 large cloves.  ;)  )

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 32-oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed well in a colander

1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed well in a colander

1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed well in a colander

1 1/2 – 2 qts. chicken stock (preferably homemade)

1 tbsp. chili powder (plus extra for tweaking)

1 tbsp. cumin (plus extra for tweaking)

1 tbsp. good cocoa powder (plus extra for tweaking)

1 tsp. ground coriander seed (plus extra for tweaking)

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (plus extra for tweaking)

1 or 2 ears’ worth of fresh sweet corn kernels (NOTE:  If fresh sweet corn is unavailable or looks less-than-great, opt for a small package of frozen corn kernels instead.)

1 jalapeño pepper, minced

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 tbsp. cilantro leaves, washed, dried well, and chopped fine

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

For garnish:

1 small red onion, washed, peeled, and chopped into small dice

A few extra tablespoons of cilantro leaves, washed, dried well, and chopped fine

A few whole radishes, washed well and chopped into julienne

Around 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Sour cream

Instructions:

1.  Put a large soup pot or stock pot on the fire over high heat.  Drizzle in just enough of the neutral oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  When the oil is hot, add the diced onions.  Stir to coat the onions with the oil and allow to sweat until translucent, but not browned.  This should take about 5-10 minutes.  If you notice the onions starting to brown any quicker than that, lower the heat immediately and keep going.

2.  When your entire house smells like onion and they are nicely translucent, add the ground turkey meat all at once, plus a pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.  As the turkey meat begins to change color, start to break it apart with a rubber or wooden spatula and keep turning.  After a few minutes, add the chopped garlic.

3.  When there is no pink visibly left on the turkey meat, add the tomato paste, can of diced or crushed tomatoes, all of the beans, the chili powder, the cumin, the cocoa, the coriander, and the cayenne pepper.  Stir quickly to incorporate all of the ingredients.  Bring the pot to a boil and then turn down to a gentle, lightly bubbling simmer.  Keep it at this nice, mellow bubble for a good 1-2 hours.  You’ll want to check it every 20-30 minutes or so to make sure it’s still going along nice and gently, and to taste it.  Add a little more of this, a little more of that, until things taste yummy and balanced.

4.  Add the lime zest and juice, the corn kernels, and the minced jalapeño.  Stir to incorporate, cook for about 2 minutes more on medium-low flame, and then season to taste with salt and pepper.  Turn off the fire, and at the very last minute, stir in the chopped cilantro.  Serve hot, in bowls, with the various garnishes on the side.

Yield: This feeds a crowd for sure.  I bet you could stuff about 6 people full of yummy, flavorful, fart gas-producing chili.  Or 2 people, with a whole bunch of leftovers for freezing.