Thanksgiving Turkey Chili Verde

For the final Veterans Cookbook recipe of the month we’ve elaborated on a Chile Verde by Diane Mercier to incorporate some of those leftovers from a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey dinner.

I first made this last Sunday morning (I used ground turkey for the recipe testing) and set it to cook while we huddled inside the theatre to watch the new movie Free Birds, in which two time travelling turkeys, the scrawny one named Reggie, save their fellow fowl from the traditional Thanksgiving table. The temperature never rose above freezing in Chicago that day and it was definitely not a sandwich or a salad day, so I timed the Chili deliberately to be ready for a late Sunday lunch when we returned knowing it’s warmth would be welcome.

Chile Verde is much lighter and more soupy than a traditional beef chili, and having never eaten hominy before I was surprised at how well it’s texture held up in the slow cooker.

So having watched Free Birds, I’m unsure what my girls will make of the whole, fully roasted Turkey due to land on the table in front of them this Thanksgiving. For certain, whatever leftovers remain will find their way into my slow cooker on Friday.

Thank you to the American Veterans Cookbook for being the inspiration behind our recipes this month. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Prep Time 10 – 15 minutes     Cooking Time 4 hours HIGH or 8 hours LOW        Servings 6

Ingredients    

2 tbsp light olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey (raw) or 3 cups diced turkey leftovers 
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tsp salt
4 cups chicken broth
4 oz can chopped green chilis
1 can (15.5oz) cannellini or white navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5oz) hominy, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in a skillet and gently fry the onion for 2 minutes to release the flavor. Turn off the heat and stir in the garlic. Put the onion and garlic mixture into your slow cooker insert.

Add the ground turkey (if using raw, otherwise wait to add the cooked turkey later) and stir in the cumin, oregano, cayenne, rosemary and salt to coat the turkey and onions.

Add the chili, broth, beans and hominy. Stir and cover. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours and if you are using leftover cooked turkey add this after 3 hours, stir and cover again for the final 1 hour cooking time.

Serve with some sour cream and red pepper flakes to stir in.

The hominy and rosemary addition for this recipe came from Martha Stewart’s Turkey and White Bean Chili.

Zen Moment

“As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible.”

~A Voskamp