I’m a sucker for slow-cooked food and anything with lots of spices. When I see those images of foreign open-air markets with the giant piles of brightly colored spices my mouth starts watering. Just the thought of fish curry, Moroccan lamb, enchiladas de mole, and cassoulet get my dopamine pumping. Here in the states, we have our own version of spicey slow cookery… Chili
Before the responsibility of parenthood, self-employment, and homeownership won the majority of my time and conscious I loved going to music and food festivals on the weekends. This week’s recipe was inspired by a festival I went to in Ukiah, CA some years back. It was a chili cook-off and we were going with my cousin. There were about 30 different contestants all eager to pass out a cup of their best chili they’d been cooking all day. I being the smart adventurous explorer thought it would be a great idea to eat a weed brownie (made myself and very strong) before the night started and the chili games began.
The booths opened and I got right to it. It quickly lost my party and began my solo journey into the clouds of chili heaven. The diversity in flavors, heat level, and texture were amazing. Each one was different from the next. Things were going well and I was slowly making my way through the gauntlet of boiling cauldrons. I was determined to try them all and boy I did.
The weed brownie had kicked in pretty good now and I was getting near the end of the chili pots at the individual booths. For those of you with experience in edibles, you know what was coming next. And for those of you who have yet to try a big girl brownie, I’ll try to explain it in clarity. Edibles, especially the kind we used to make at home with who knows how much THC in them, are like a kindergartener campaigning for ice cream… persistent, and the harder you resist the harder they come. An hour or two in I had sample size portions of 30 different chilis churning in my belly and an ever-increasing amount of THC pumping through my blood. Needless to say, I was an accident waiting to happen
You would think I would have called it quits at this point and took a knee on the sidelines. No way man, I was a gamer, and by then I had decided who my favorites were so I was going back to get a proper bowl of their chili goodness.
Belly beyond full, and brain beyond warped now I was ready to get home. We were staying at my Aunt’s house that night so I was happy to make the 5-minute commute back to her house. We got in the house quiet and I got to bed happy the night was over. WRONG! That damn weed brownie and the over-ambitious chili challenge had another thing to say. 30 minutes into me laying down I started spinning. Now I’m not a drinker but I’ve heard the accounts of ethanol-induced spinning and it never sounded fun. I got out of bed hoping to find a cure and ended up in the backyard looking for relief from the fresh air. All I got was giant trees swirling around my head like a tornado. I ended up on my back in the grass waiting for the storm to be over and telling myself all the reasons why I wouldn’t do this anymore. Finally, I got out of there alive and got back to sleep.
I tell this story not as a scared straight message to stay away from weed brownies. That was just a funny ancillary sidebar to demonstrate how diverse the chili game can be. I talk a lot about interpreting recipes in your own way and chili is definitely one of those recipes. There are 100 ways to make a good chili. I hacked my way through this one with an emphasis on keeping the cooking process short and finding a good replacement for beans which are on my kryptonite list. It turned out pretty damn good. Let’s cook
Turkey Chili – no beans Serves 4
- 1 medium red onion – diced
- 2 ribs celery – diced
- 1 large carrot – diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper – diced
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 small-medium cauliflowers
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Sea salt
- 5 cloves garlic – diced
- 1 tbsp butter, ghee, or bacon grease
- 2 cups chicken broth or bone broth
- Food processor
- Stockpot
Method
- Cook the onion, celery, carrot, pepper, and some salt in avocado oil for 10 minutes stirring frequently
- While the veggies are cooking pulse the cauliflower in your food processor until pea-sized. You will get some smaller pieces too, that’s ok it will add texture. Break the florets off the stock so it doesn’t go into the mix. Process one cauliflower at a time
- The stalk should look like this after you pulled off the florets
- Add the cauliflower to the pot and cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently
- Add all the spices and a few more pinches of salt to the pot, stir to mix up and cook for10-15 minutes until well browned and starting to stick to the bottom. If you are using store-bought broth be mindful of how much salt you use based on how much sodium is in the broth
- In a separate pan lightly brown the garlic in the butter or bacon grease then add to the pot. This technique of adding the garlic later in the cooking process renders a stronger garlic presence in the final dish
- Add ground turkey to the pot and break it up very well. Continue to frequently stir and cook for 15-20 minutes
- Taste for seasoning and add as necessary
- Pour the broth into the pot, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes stirring after 10 minutes
- Now you have a one-pot meal or the fixings for chili dogs or sloppy joe’s
