Thanksgiving in January Continues: Turkey Pumpkin Chili

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.

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.

I used cooked leftover turkey, and skipped the browning step.  Note the fresh roasted pumpkin instead of canned - makes a big difference

If using leftovers, add the meat, saute for a few minutes, then continue with the recipe

No, it's not baby food.  It's home roasted pumpkin.