Turkey and White Bean Chili

We have finally reached fall weather here in North Carolina and I decided to welcome chilly tempuratures with cozy sweaters and a big warm bowl of chili. This is coming from the girl who has consistantly walked her dog at 7 am and thought "oh my goodness what a nice day for fall clothes" and by the time I go back outside at noon my hopes are dashed and it is another beautiful 80 degree day. I know I know I should not complain about beautiful weather but I have gotten extremely bored with both my warm weather wardrobe and my hot weather recipes.

This chili recipe has some mole inspired ingredients (chocolate, almonds, chiles and raisins) which give it a great depth of flavor while not having to spend all day working on a mole.

Turkey and White Bean Chili
adapted from Turkey Chili with White beans
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
1/4 cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup ground almonds *
1/4 cup raisins, minced
1 teaspoon dried ancho chile
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 can of tomato paste
3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained

Chopped onion
Chopped fresh cilantro
Grated cheddar cheese or pepper jack
Crushed tortilla chips
Light sour cream

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, almonds, raisins, ancho chili, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with back of spoon. Mix in stock and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.) 

Garnish with the onion, cilantro, cheese, chips and sour cream.

*You could just add whole almonds to a food processor with the raisins, chile and a little bit of cooking liquid if you do not have ground almonds on hand.

 Enjoy