Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Turkey Black Bean Chili Fit for Foodies

Tried out an interesting new chili recipe last night that uses pumpkin as an ingredient. It was superb and quick to make, fit for serious foodies as well as the just-give-me-my football, beer and bowl o' chilli crowd.

Main chili makings are 2 cups of cooked turkey, 2 15-oz cans of black beans (I recommend Bush's), 2 cups of chicken broth, 1 chopped yellow onion, minced garlic to taste (lots in our home!) 1 can of Mexican stewed tomatoes chopped, and the surprise ingredient of 1 16-oz can of pure pumpkin. For spices, I used 2 tspns of cumin (absolutely essential, but use to taste), 1 tspn of chili pepper, 1 tspn of white pepper and several generous sprinkles of garlic salt. I omitted the 1/2 cup of cream sherry specified by the recipe, but it would have enhanced this delicious dish. Saute the onion and garlic in veggie oil; stir in the broth, beans, turkey, pumpkin and Mexican tomatoes, in that order. Let simmer for 5 minutes, and then add all spices. Sherry should be added early if you want the alcohol to burn off, and later if you want a full-bodied sherry flavor. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes; occasionally stir.

This hearty fare has a complexity rarely found in chili. The turkey, pumpkin, black beans and cumin simmered together were a surprising match made in culinary heaven. I served it with dollops of sour cream and freshly baked corn bread.

Send emails to DeborahWhite@UniqueRecipes.com.

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