Dreaming of Better Things- Part II

Grillers are also omnivores. It's a sensitive subject though

Camp oven full of beans. Please, no Blazing Saddle jokes.

Giving orders on her Barbie phone. One of my BBQ muses.

The whole famn damily

Dreaming of Better Things…Part I

Racks of baby back ribs with a brown sugar finish

Cabrito (baby goat) on a pit

Award winning BBQ chicken

Winter BBQ Bravado

A man's best friends: a grill, snow shovel and warm hat:

Winter grilling requirements: Lazzari Lump Charcoal

Grillers and Gatherers. A cheesy son bringing in the cheeseburgers.

Fenn Valley – The Thrilli of Chilli

There were thousands of them...the pressure was hotter than a jalapeno

It must of been good (or they were hungry)

Too Cocky

The Team

Fenn Valley Chili Recipe

For better or for worse.  I am locking in with this recipe for Saturday’s event.  It is basically a revised recipe from previous post (#4).  A few friends helped with the tweaks…

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 lbs of smoked chicken- hand pulled (I am buying the smoked/cured chicken from local meat market- Kingmas)
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 dried anchos
• 1 poblano pepper (roasted. peeled and chopped)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• approx 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 12 oz. beer (use what is available–preferably no Miller light..)
• 1 8-ounce can tomato paste
• 3 15-ounce cans small  beans, rinsed, drained (I am using a black, pinto and navy bean combination)

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high.  Stir in chili powder,  cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices. Mix in stock, beer, poblano and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; add dried anchos, simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans and chicken to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard anchos .

Of course I never follow the recipes exactly, but this is the general outline.

Chili #4- Report

I made chili#4 last night with the following changes:

• Substituted cooked smoked chicken (pulled and sliced) for the ground turkey.  I bought the chicken at Kingmas in Grand Rapids
• Used diced tomatoes with fire roasted green chiles (Muirs) instead of the whole canned tomatoes.
• Added 12 oz. beer. (Founders IPA)  I think I used to much chicken and the chili was a bit thick, so I added more liquid.
• Used black beans instead of white beans.

Other than those changes, I stayed true to the recipe.  It was very tasty.  I am taste testing today with other folks, but so far the only change I intend to make is to cut back on the onions.  I probably overdid it, and have a tendency to not chop very fine….

Chili Idea #4- Stop the madness!

Stop the madness. This could be the recipe. Great reviews on Epicurious.com. I like the cocoa powder.

Turkey Chili with White Beans

Bon Appétit | February 1997

yield: Serves 8

If you have leftover chili, serve it over turkey franks (or the chicken ones) the next day.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
• 3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained

• Chopped red onion
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Plain low-fat yogurt or light sour cream

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with back of spoon. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)

Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and yogurt separately.

Chili Recipe #3

This is off the charts. From James Beard, 1965. The ingredients are terrific

Turkey Chili

House & Garden | November 1965

by James A. Beard

yield: Serves 8 to 10

This is not a traditional chili and has no connection with any Mexican or Texas recipe. It was devised simply as an experiment and turned out to be delicious.

Ingredients

• 5-6 pound turkey, cut in quarters
• 1 onion stuck with cloves
• 2 stalks celery
• 2-3 sprigs parsley
• 2 small dried hot peppers
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 4-ounce can peeled green chiles, finely chopped
• 1 cup almonds, ground or blended
• 1/2 cup peanuts, ground or blended
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup small green olives
• 1.2 cup blanched almonds

Preparation

Cover the turkey pieces with water and add the onion stuck with cloves, the celery, parsley, and peppers. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, skim off any scum which may rise to the top, and cover the pot. Simmer until the turkey is tender but not falling from the bones. Remove the turkey pieces and cool until they can be handled. Remove the meat from the bones in good-size pieces.

Reduce the broth by half over a brisk flame. You should have about 4 cups broth. Strain and adjust the salt. Add the chili powder, the green chiles,and the ground nuts and simmer until the mixture is thickened, smooth and well blended in flavor. You may find you may wish to add additional chili powder. Sauté the onion, garlic, and green peppers in the olive oil. Add to the sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Add the turkey meat and cook thoroughly. Add the olives and blanched almonds and reheat for 3 minutes.

Serve with rice or polenta and crisp French bread. A radish and cucumber salad with a vinaigrette sauce is good with this. Tortillas are excellent with the chili if you don’t serve polenta and French bread. Drink beer.

Chili Idea #2

Here is another contender. I like the ingredients. Will modify the whole tomatoes, probably use Rotel

From Gourmet Magazine

Turkey Chili

Gourmet | November 2008

by Melissa Roberts

enlarge image

yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

active time: 20 min

total time: 45 min

Ingredients

• 1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 bell peppers (any color), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 2 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice
• 1 (19-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups cooked turkey, cut into 1-inch pieces

• Accompaniments: sour cream; sliced avocado; chopped white onion; lime wedges

Preparation

Cook onion and peppers in oil in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Add spices and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice, breaking them up with back of a spoon, then add beans, water, and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.

Stir in turkey and let stand, covered, until heated through, 5 minutes.

Chili Idea

Here is a recipe I am toying with…tweak it a bit (add black beans and a little anch0)

It’s from (drumroll please) Rachel Ray’s website! A guilty pleasure. Please forgive me.

Green Tortilla Chili

Submitted by

Rachael Ray

on 09/07/07

Ingredients

• 1 rotisserie chicken, stripped and shredded or 1 to 1 1/2 pounds leftover roast turkey meat, shredded
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 1 rounded tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 jar tomatillo salsa (16 ounces)
• 1 beer, any brand you like
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 4 handfuls tortilla chips, divided
• 1 handful cilantro leaves
• Juice of 2 limes

Preparation

Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Cook onions, garlic and jalapeño until soft, about four minutes.

Add chili powder and cumin, and cook for another minute. Add the tomatillo salsa, beer and stock. Bring up to a bubble and add in the shredded chicken. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, grind two handfuls of the tortilla chips and the cilantro leaves in a food processor.

Add this mixture to the chili and continue cooking until it thickens, about 8-10 minutes.

Right before spooning into bowls, add in the lime juice and serve with some whole corn tortilla chips alongside.