Thursday, October 7, 2010
White Chili with Ground Turkey
K - I'm gonna give you the recipe as I found it and then tell you how I actually made it.
Ingredients:
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chilies
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
ground cayenne pepper to taste
ground white pepper to taste
3 (15 oz.) cans cannellini beans
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Directions:
1.) In a large pot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic and ground turkey and saute for 10 minutes, or until turkey is well browned. Add the chile peppers, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne and white pepper to taste. Saute for 5 more minutes.
2.) Add two of the cans of the beans and the chicken broth to the pot. Take the third can of beans and puree them in a blender or food processor. Add this to the pot along with the cheese. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes, allowing cheese to melt.
Good? Maybe... I don't know, cause I totally changed it up. For some reason I like to "Mexicanize" (my new word) everything. But, not only that, this recipe needed some more pizzazz!
So here's what I did.
First, heat about a tbsp of olive oil in the large pot over medium heat. While that is getting hot, you can prep the onions and garlic. Add that and saute for a few minutes allowing them to soften before adding the meat.
The turkey is next. Two things - if you want a leaner version of this meal get 93% fat free ground turkey. Otherwise it can be really fatty. Also, I went for 2 lbs of the ground turkey. While upping the amount may be good to feed more people it was a little much for my family of three. But more importantly, the ratio of meat to beans was off. Unless you just want it meaty...I digress.
Once the turkey is cooked add your seasonings. Don't ask me how to know if the ground white pepper to taste is too much or too little, cause I don't know. But what I can tell you is I was a little freaked about the cinnamon thing and, well, don't worry. I liked it. The one thing that I did not like was boy did it need salt. So I made my own special blend of spices and seasonings just like the Colonel! Couple shakes of onion salt, some garlic salt, a little more cumin, work it, own it, you go girl!
Ok - so once that's cooked there's the issue of the beans. It doesn't say whether or not to drain these puppies but I did. Three cans might sound like a lot, but next time I probably will go for four. Two whole and two blended. It made it creamier and thicker. And since I liked the consistency the beans gave it, in my opinion, 5 cups of chicken broth was WAY too much. I added only 2 cups and I still wanted one more can of beans. Tip - add a little of the juices from the meat to the blender with the beans to help it blend. Otherwise it all just gets stuck on the side (well maybe that's cause I drained them) But hey, like I said, It didn't say to drain them or not. Personally, I don't like the goo they are canned in. If I had had more time I would have even drained AND rinsed them.
So, pretty much follow the order of food prep and try my changes if you like. One last thing... I garnished it with some cheese on top, 3 slices of avocado, and a sprinkle of cilantro. BAM! "Mexicanized!"
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