White(ish) Chili

This is a white chili in the sense that there is no beef or tomatoes in it; the colour comes from the ancho chili.  True, it’s not very white, but who wants to eat white chili anyway?    

1 large ancho chili, split and deseeded*

2 t vegetable oil

650 g ground turkey

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

227 g mushrooms, sliced

1 t salt

1 T chili powder

1 t cumin

1 t oregano

¼ t cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 c chicken stock

2 - 540 ml cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed.

1 T lime juice

Sour cream and chopped cilantro to serve (optional)

Lightly toast the ancho chili halves in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until heated through, and colour changes slightly.  Put the chili into a bowl and pour over recently-boiled water just to cover.  Cover with plate and put aside for twenty minutes. 

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat; add turkey, breaking up with spoon.  Continue cooking until liquid has evaporated, and cooking sound has changed from bubbling to sizzling.

Add onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, mushrooms and salt.  When mushrooms begin to release their liquid, add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne and black pepper.  Cook, stirring regularly, until cooking sound once again changes to a sizzle.

Remove chili from water and discard water.  Put chili into a blender, along with the chicken stock and half of the beans.  Blend until smooth.  Pour mixture into Dutch oven and stir well.  Add lime juice.

Bring to a boil; reduce to medium low.  Cook, uncovered, until mixture reduces and thickens (about an hour), stirring regularly.  Check seasoning.

Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro if desired.

Serves four.

* If you can’t find ancho chili, substitute a canned chipotle, very finely chopped, and exclude the cayenne.