Spicy Turkey Chili with Chocolate

So it has happened. As it does every year. One day you are buzzing along happily with the sun in your hair, warm breezes blowing through your open windows and then the next thing you know, your house becomes a fortress from the cold. Windows closed. Heat on. All the time. Even though the official start of winter is 5 weeks away, it is cold and it is time to make chili.

Next weekend I will be doing a cooking demo at our local library (hey all you Valley City friends, come on down) for their annual Chocolate Chocolate Day. It is a day where the community gathers to bake chocolate things, buy chocolate things, and eat chocolate things all in the spirit of raising money for the Children’s Library. Seeing as my children have probably done their fair share of property damage to that space, or at least to the psyche of the librarians I volunteered my culinary services to the cause.

I will be showing the good people of Barnes County how to make their own chocolate peanut butter cups and hot chocolate waffle sandwiches (its a thing, trust me) I also wanted to make something more substantial and maybe a little different.

I’ve been testing different incarnations of this chocolate chili idea and this one, the recipe below, is awesome. It is not your traditional chili con carne so you have to wrap your mind around that one, but it’s not supposed to be. It is chili con chocolate and that makes it rich, the slightest bit sweet, with almost a creaminess that can’t really be explained other than to say it is tremendously satisfying, excellent with beer, and probably even better with cornbread.

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Spicy Turkey Chili with Chocolate

Yield: 6-8

This Spicy Turkey Chili with Chocolate is like Mexican turkey mole meets American-style chili with chipotle pepper, ground turkey, and a hint of chocolate.

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped (any color will do)
• 2 jalapeños, chopped (seeds removed to make less spicy, if desired)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons ground chipotle chile powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 large tomatoes, diced or 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups stock or broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, peppers, and jalapeños and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to brown.
2. Add turkey, chile powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano and cook, breaking up with the back of a spoon until beginning to brown. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables and turkey is cooked, about 30 minutes.
3. Add kidney beans with their juices, and chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed. Serve with grated cheese, cilantro, or sour cream if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0g

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