Quick Green Chili

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer November 21, 2007 (the day before Thanksgiving), this recipe is fresh and healthy while also being filling and almost addicting. For example, we had to eat before I could take this photo of the finished product... so you're looking at the leftovers. :)

Quick Green Chili

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
5 sweet Italian precooked sausages (12-ounce package), cut into small chunks (we use chicken sausage)
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
5 medium tomatillos, husks removed, washed and diced
2 Tablespoons pickled jalapeño pepper slices, diced
half of a 12-ounce bottle pale ale beer
2 cups chicken broth
14-ounce can navy or other white beans (we use cannellini), drained
5-ounce package baby spinach leaves
juice from 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, paprika, chili powder and oregano. Sauté until the onion is just tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the sausage and ground turkey. Sauté another 10 minutes or until the sausage and turkey begin to brown. Add the tomatillos, jalapeños, and half of the beer. (Drink the other half.) :)

Bring to a simmer, and cook until the beer has mostly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and beans and return to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Remove the chili from the heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings; freezes well.

Cincinnati Style Chili

An experiment this week at our house - Cincinnati Chili served 5-ways. I took a bit from a couple different recipes I found online which means I better write down what I did before I forget. It turned out really yummy!

1 quart cold water
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups (16 ounces) tomato sauce
2 yellow onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 ounce Ghirardelli bittersweet baking chocolate
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 whole bay leaf
1 whole clove (the kind you make ground cloves from)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt

Extras:
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
about a pound of spaghetti, cooked and drained
shredded cheddar cheese
1 chopped onion
oyster crackers

Add beef and water to a 4-quart pot. Bring to a simmer while stirring until the ground beef is in very small pieces. Simmer for 30 minutes and add all the rest of the ingredients.

Simmer on low, uncovered, for 3 hours. Add water as needed if the chili becomes too thick.

Refrigerate the chili overnight (I put ours in the freezer for an hour), and then remove the layer of fat from the top before reheating and serving.

We added the beans to the chili while reheating it, then served it over spaghetti with cheese and onion on top, and oyster crackers on the side.