0 comments
28th Nov 10
M. R. SellarsAh, Thanksgiving weekend…
Four full days of not having the house to myself, which is something to which I have become comfortably accustomed. But I can’t complain too much. After all, I am sharing it with the O-spring and the Evil One, so it’s all good.
Speaking of The Evil One, Thanksgiving weekend is also the time when a hot redhead’s fancy turns to grinding her heel into her poor abused spouse even more than usual. Yes, it marks the beginning of “that season”…
That season? What season? Which season?
Easy… The season where the Evil Redhead chains me to the island in the kitchen and forces me to cook until my fingers bleed and I can barely hold up my head. And even then she comes by and slaps me around with a spatula and forces me to cook some more.
One of the reasons this particular weekend marks the beginning of “that season” is the fact that her supreme redheaded evilness loves turkey. And I mean she LOVES turkey. You know the Adam Sandler Thanksgiving song? Well, he’s got nothing on E K. She thinks turkey is “the bomb”. Hell, she even married one. But seriously… Okay, so that was seriously… But OTHER seriously – E K really and truly loves turkey. Almost as much as corned beef, but that’s a different holiday.
Therefore, when we do the family Thanksgiving with her clan, since I’m usually in charge of a side dish and a pie, I have to fix a small turkey at home so that she has some leftovers, otherwise she mopes around and takes out her frustrations on me even more than usual. And, on the off years, such as this one, when the family spreads across the country visiting other extended family, I have to fix an extra large bird for the three of us. Why? So she has leftovers. Weren’t you listening?
Now, the thing is, even the redhead can only eat just so many turkey sandwiches before she starts getting grumpy, no matter how much she likes it. Therefore, back to where we started this endeavor, she chains me in the kitchen and demands that I concoct ever increasingly delectable dishes using the remainder of the roasted fowl.
From our icebox door - srsly...
As always, Friday is “turn the stripped carcass into stock day.” After that, my kitchen becomes the staging area for intense culinary endeavors designed to satisfy – or at least temporarily quell – the savage redhead.
Therefore, over the next few blog entries I will be sharing recipes straight from my kitchen, some designed to make use of leftover turkey, others concocted merely to save myself from the wrath of the whip-wielding, leather and stiletto-clad redhead.
We will begin with Turkey Chili. Why? Because this year, as it happens, E K announced that she really wanted some turkey chili. And when the redhead says she REALLY WANTS something, well, you know what THAT means. It says so right there on the sign…
* * * * *
GREAT NORTHERN CANARY CHILI WITH TURKEY
Unlike the name might allude, no canaries were harmed in the preparation of this chili…
INGREDIENTS:
3 Cups Great Northern or Navy Beans 1.5 Cups Canary Beans 6-8 Cups Turkey Stock (Preferably homemade, I mean, after all…) 2 Large Yellow Onions, chopped 4 Ribs Celery, chopped 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped 1/2 Green Bell Pepper, chopped 1/2 Cup Chopped Pickled Sweet Banana Peppers 2 TBSP Vinegar from jar of banana peppers 4 to 5 Cups Diced Leftover Turkey (I prefer an 80/20 Dark to White ratio, but go with whatever your family – or redhead – demands.) 1 Small Can Chopped Green Chilis 1 Jalapeno pepper, chopped (Fresh or canned – not pickled unless you have no choice) 1 Small Adobo Packed Chipotle Pepper, chopped (Available canned in the Mexican food section of your supermarket, or from a Mexican grocery.) 1 TBSP Chili Powder 2 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder 1 TBSP Honey 1 TBSP Ground Cumin 1 TBSP of Your Favorite Hot Sauce 2 TBSP Parsley FlakesSalt (To Taste)
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare beans as directed by soaking at least overnight. I usually go for a 20 to 24 hour soak, rinsing first, and then changing the water twice during the soak. Rinse soaked beans and place in a large crock pot with turkey stock to cover (plus an 1/2 to 1 inch) – add chopped onion, chopped celery, chopped red bell pepper, and chopped green bell pepper. Stir. Set on high and allow to come up to a simmer. Add chopped banana peppers, diced turkey, vinegar, green chilis, chopped jalapeno, chopped chipotle, honey, hot sauce, and dry seasonings. Mix well and allow to simmer until beans are tender and flavors have fully incorporated.
Adjust seasonings to taste – i.e. I am fixing this for the redhead and the offspring, and they don’t like things to be too spicy. Therefore, you might want to increase the amount of cumin, chili powder, hot sauce, jalapeno, and chipotle. I generally doctor mine tableside to bring it up to “heat,” and will even add some finely chopped habanero (courtesy of my dear friend, Celeste Webster, Habanero Babe Supreme)…
Serve with cornbread or blue corn tortilla chips, and a good beer. Given that we are dealing with a white bean chili I prefer a crisp Pilsner or basic Wheat.
Other possible garnishes – Plain yogurt, sour cream, cheese, chopped onions, or sliced avocado.
More to come…
Murv
