What do you do with leftover roast turkey and leftover roasted pumpkin? Well, other than turkey-pumpkin surprise, you could try this recipe, which I pulled from the Whole Foods website. I thought the flavor was great, and while it looks very similar to a generic tomato-based chili, it's definitely a lot more complex, and probably more healthy to boot. There's a mild hint of sweetness from the pumpkin, and a nice earthy complexity from the use of turkey instead of ground beef. I would make this again if presented with the same leftover ingredients, but I wouldn't go out of my way to roast a pumpkin for this dish, for what it's worth.
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Whole Foods
Serves 6
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb ground white or dark meat turkey
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with their liquid
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin purée
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp chile powder*
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
*First, note that one of the ingredients is chile powder - this means chile peppers, and nothing else. Otherwise, you're just getting a stale mixture of the other spices that are already in the ingredient list. So this means that the best thing you can do is make your own, which is what I do. Grab some dried chile peppers from your local latin market or the latin section of a regular megamart. I recommend ancho and guajillo. Tear off the stems, remove the seeds, and warm in a dry skillet over high heat. Now tear up and place in a spice grinder to powder the chile peppers, straining through a mesh screen to catch unground pieces. Store this in an airtight container for up a few months. For me, 7 chile peppers got me about 5 tbsp of chile powder.
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| Making my own chile powder - it's not too hard, it's fresh, and you only have to do it once in a while |
Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, water, powdered chiles, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes more. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.
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| I used cooked leftover turkey, and skipped the browning step. Note the fresh roasted pumpkin instead of canned - makes a big difference |
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| If using leftovers, add the meat, saute for a few minutes, then continue with the recipe |
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| No, it's not baby food. It's home roasted pumpkin. |
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