Get Your Grill On

When I first conceived the idea of celebrating National Chili Month, I wasn’t sure if we had enough recipes to fill out a week. Boy was I wrong. Here we are in the middle of week two with a post from Faith Kramer for “Pressured Cook Chili”.

For all you folks wondering where the barbecue, grilling, Dutch oven, cowboy and live fire cooking is, don’t worry. We’re still into all that, just taking a little break. The fire returns next week.

But back to the Chili. Take it away Faith….
Sometimes you just need a slow meal on a fast day. That’s the perfect time to make “Pressured Cook Chili”. It makes lots so you’ll have leftovers for quick meals later in the week or to freeze for future use. This makes a chili that’s somewhere between mild and medium. If you like it hotter, goose up the hot stuff. This recipe calls for four types of beans which makes for a complex flavor and texture, but you could use fewer types of beans, just make sure you have about 60 ounces or so total.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker or have more time you can adapt it for regular cooking by making it in a very large skillet or a Dutch oven and simmering until the mixture was cooked through and thickened. (You might need to add a bit more liquid.) You could adapt it to a slow cooker as well. You’ll want to brown the seasoned ground turkey in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker and reduce the liquid to 1 ½ cups each of water. Put the browned meat and all ingredients but the corn meal in a slow cooker and cook on low or medium for 6-8 hours. About a half hour before serving, switch to high, uncover and add in the corn meal, giving it a good stir every now and then.

“Pressured Cook Chili” or Turkey Chili with Four Types of Beans

Serves 6 - 8

Turkey and Seasonings:

1 ½ pounds ground turkey (I used 7 percent fat, labeled “lean.”)

1 ½ tablespoons sweet paprika

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

Other Chili Ingredients:

2 tablespoons grape seed or other vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 canned chipotle chiles, chopped

1 -15 ounce can of black beans

1-15 ounce can of small white beans, rinsed and drained

1-15 ounce can of adzuki beans (or pinto or kidney if adzuki are unavailable), rinsed and drained (The adzuki beans add a slight nuttiness to the dish.)

1-15 ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

2 cups chicken stock, homemade or purchased low-sodium

2 cups water

1-28 ounce can of diced tomatoes

¼ cup of corn meal

Toppings: plain yogurt or sour cream, chopped cilantro, lemon wedges, avocado slices, shredded cheese, fresh salsa, etc.

Preparation: In a large bowl, mix paprika, garlic, 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1 tsp of cumin, ½ teaspoon of dried oregano, black pepper and salt with ground turkey. Combine well.

Heat oil in a large pressure cooker. Working in batches if need be, brown the seasoned ground turkey mixture, breaking up the meat into clumps as it browns. (Be careful to brown, not steam the meat, by avoiding overcrowding the pan.) Add the onion, 1 tablespoon cumin, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and chopped chipotles. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened. Add in drained beans, diced tomatoes with their juices, water and chicken stock. Stir well.

Place and lock lid on pressure cooker. Bring up to pressure and cook at high pressure for about five minutes (or as directed by your cooker’s instructions). Open vent and allow steam to escape until all pressure is released. Take off lid.

Over medium heat, stir in the corn meal and cook until the chili is slightly thickened.

Serve with toppings as desired.