Ditch the beef, embrace the turkey chili this winter

How long have you been making beef chili?

My first beef chili began in the early 1970s, using a packet of McCormick’s Chili Seasoning Mix. Over the years, I learned what spices to use from my spice cabinet and stopped using a premade mix. Along the way, I learned the one spice that makes chili, chili: cumin.

I know you may have thought chili powder made it chili. However, if you look at the ingredient list on your chili powder bottle, you will see cumin.

Since the weather’s been so downright awful, I headed for my kitchen wanting to make chili. I had a package of frozen, organic ground turkey in my freezer. Hmmm, there goes my beef chili.

I headed for the internet to see what I needed to make a turkey (sometimes called white) chili. The recipe I found and planned to loosely follow came from the New York Times’ White Chicken Chili and seemed easy enough.

The major missing ingredient, besides ground beef, is tomatoes. No beef broth either. Chicken broth is the stand-in. Fortunately, I had a can of diced green chiles in my pantry.

The Times used two cans of cannellini (white kidney) beans. I had only one can and went with a can of pinto beans: adding some color.

They seasoned their chili with cumin (of course), oregano, salt, black pepper, and paprika or chili powder. I went with equal amounts of paprika and chili powder. Those seasonings went in the pan after sautéing the onions and garlic to help the herbs and spices release their flavor into the oil.

They smashed half the added beans to help thicken their chili. I preferred adding 2 tablespoons of potato starch (cornstarch works, too) dissolved in some water to make my chili less like soup.

I was a touch nervous using my ground turkey and sautéing it after the onions, garlic, and spices went into the pot. However, it worked out perfectly since I could break the ground turkey up with my spatula as it cooked.

Adding frozen roasted corn kernels near the end not only looked good, but bumped up the flavor, as did the fresh-squeezed lime juice I added.

Into the bowl my chili went, and it tasted terrific. It is not the beef chili I like, but different and, yes, wonderful.

Give it a try.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.

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Winter-Warming Turkey Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled, ends trimmed, and chopped

5 garlic cloves, peeled, trimmed, and minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon kosher salt OR 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups low-sodium organic chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained

1 (7-ounce) can diced green chiles

1 pound ground turkey (organic preferred)

1 cup frozen organic roasted corn kernels

2 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch

1 lime, cut in half

Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven or pot, and place over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add and stir in the garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and black pepper, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the ground turkey and cook, while breaking it up, until it loses its pink color.

Add the chicken broth, beans, and diced green chiles with their liquid; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Stir in the corn.

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch or potato starch with 1/3 cup water and then add and stir into the chili. Simmer for 1 minute while stirring until the chili thickens.

Juice the lime over the pot and stir in the juice. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serves 6.

Nutrition values per serving: 338 calories (24.9% from fat), 9.4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 37.1 g carbohydrates (25.9 net carbs), 3.6 g sugars, 11.5 g fiber, 10 g protein, 50 mg cholesterol, 741 mg sodium. Salt sense: Omitting the added salt reduces the sodium per serving to 181 milligrams.