Springfield Chilli

From Cooking Light, another chili recipe (they had an article on chili):

The Illinois version of chili is typically spelled with an extra "l" and features coarse-grind beef, which we augment here with ground turkey breast. Regular ground meat will work just fine. In 1993, the state legislature proclaimed Springfield the "Chilli Capital of the Civilized World."

Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bacon slice, finely chopped
• 2 1/4 cups finely chopped onion, divided (about 2 medium)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound coarsely ground turkey breast
• 1/2 pound coarsely ground sirloin
• 1 (12-ounce) can beer (such as Budweiser)
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
• Oyster crackers (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in 2 cups onion; cover and cook until onion is tender (about 5 minutes). Uncover and stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute.

2. Increase heat to medium-high; add turkey and sirloin to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add beer; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup (about 7 minutes). Stir in chili powder and next 5 ingredients (through tomato sauce). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in beans; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle 1 cup chili into each of 6 bowls. Top each serving with 4 teaspoons cheese and 2 teaspoons onion. Serve with crackers, if desired.

RESULTS: Although not exotic like the white chili, this was a good basic chili. I overcooked the beef (I haven't really taken to ground turkey, so we just used all beef), so the meat was a bit tough, but the flavor was sort of what I (as a non-native Cincinnatian) think of when I think of chili.

White Chili

From Cooking Light: This dish uses hot pepper sauce made from jalapeños; it's milder than the red hot pepper varieties. Stirring frequently toward the end of cooking time prevents the bean-thickened broth from sticking to the bottom and scorching. Serve with Spicy Jalapeño Corn Bread.

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
5 teaspoons green hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons stone-ground cornmeal
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (about 1)
Lime wedges (optional)

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth, hot pepper sauce, salt, and chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth mixture; cool.

2. Add cornmeal and beans to broth mixture, stirring with a whisk; simmer 15 minutes. Mash about 1/4 cup beans against side of pan. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to pan; simmer 5 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring frequently. Top each serving with yogurt; sprinkle with green onions. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup chili, 4 teaspoons yogurt, and 1 teaspoon green onions)

RESULTS: Well, it was salty, but I'm not sure if that's because I accidentally over-salted it, or because I accidentally used regular-sodium chicken broth, or because there was a typo in the magazine. Regardless, I would go easy on the salt initially, you can always add some more later. I used only 1/4 of a large onion (to appease certain husbands) and instead of mincing 3 cloves of garlic, I only used one clove, and that went in whole, and then I took it out when I took the chicken out. I just couldn't imagine all that garlic. I really liked this, other than the salty. It had a really nice smell. It was nice with the yogurt, and it wasn't really spicy at all. Chris wasn't too keen on it, but he did say that it tasted better than it looks (we agreed that it looks like cafeteria Thanksgiving dinner slop).

For me, it was good comfort food on what is proving to be a disappointing football weekend for all members of the household (Harper was heartbroken by the Browns' loss to the Cowboys, as was I by the Cowboys' win). The one bright spot was Wake beating Ole Miss last night. IU won, but the score was 45 to 3, and every time IU scores they set off cannons or something which really spook Harper if she's outside, so even that was traumatizing.

Still, the chili was a lot of work if not all members of the household like it. Mom and Beth, you might want to give this one a shot. By the way, I served this with some of the angel biscuits that I had made earlier and frozen.