This is my grandma's classic chili recipe that I've been eating my whole life. I always crave it when the weather starts to get cold.
My mom has made a few adjustments over the years, as did I this last time I made it. She always made it with ground beef but I like ground turkey (dark meat if I can find it). I added jalapeno and a little chicken stock tonight. It's best with a little of my Aunt Dora's hot sauce but when we don't have that, we find other ways to give it a kick (like the jalapeño). Three generations perfecting the recipe. It's so good!
The toppings are essential, as is the cornbread.
Classic Chili
Grandma Tess, Yia Yia and Me
1 lb ground turkey, preferably dark meat
2 T olive oil or canola oil
1 small onion, diced
½-1 green pepper, diced small
2-3 celery stalks, diced small
½-1 jalapeno, minced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
½ t oregano
½ t paprika
1 t cumin
2-3 T chili powder
½ t bit sugar
1/2 t salt
1 150z can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 - 1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken stock
Salt & pepper
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown turkey. Season with salt, pepper, garlic granules and cumin. Turn off heat when 90% cooked.
In a large crockpot, heat another splash of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onions for a few minutes until soft. Add green pepper and celery and sauté until softening. Add jalapeno and then garlic. When almost ready, add bay leaves, oregano, paprika, cumin, chili powder, sugar and salt. Then add tomato sauce, stewed and diced tomatoes (beaking up with your hands), and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce and add the beans. Cook on low for 15 minutes. Season with salt. Add more seasoning to taste.
Serve with your choice of toppings:
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Green onion
Red onion
Cilantro
Crumbled tortilla chips
Always best served with cornbread. I like Marie Callender’s Organic Cornbread.
