Dave'sWife
Cook
This is a nice change of pace for Chili-lovers. it's pretty to look at and quite tasty. The idea is to play up the white and green ingredients. I add in some yellow too for contrast.
You may notice that I omit Cilantro from this recipe. I happen to believe it is an overpowering flavor that has no place in a recipe depending upon the mild and unassuming Tomatillo for the main flavor of this dish. There may well be some Cilantro in your Salsa Verde that you use as an ingredient and that's fine. Just don't be tempted to add any fresh cilantro to this dish. It can ruin the balance of flavors. Flat leaf parlsey can add the needed green.
Chili Verde
(Green Chili)
Ingredients - in order of addition
2 Lbs. of Ground Turkey (you can get buy with 1.5 Lbs) You may also use ground chicken or ground pork.
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil for sautéing the garlic & onions
1 Large Onion, Chopped (but not chopped too finely, you want to see it in the Chili)
3 Cloves of garlic - chopped fine
2 Bay leaves*
1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon White Pepper
Dash of salt
24 ounces of Salsa Verde (Green Salsa made with Tomatillos instead of tomatoes)
3 Celery stalks, coarsely chopped (throw in the leafy celery tops too)
2 Green Bell peppers, Seeded and cut into 1/4 inch strips
2 Yellow Bell Peppers, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch strips
Optional - 1 bag of ReadyPak baby Spinach leaves (which have been prewashed - saves time)
6 fresh Tomatillos, peeled and chopped (they have a leathery peel)
2 Cans white Kidney beans (Cannelli), drained & rinsed
2 Cans Small White Beans (these are about half the size of Cannelli) ** drained & rinsed.
1 Can of Pinto Beans w/Jalepno - NOT drained or rinsed***
1 bunch of Green onions, chopped (including the green parts)
2 Cups of Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
Optional - diced Jalepeno for garnish
Directions for preparation:
In a large Anodized Stock Pot, add the 2 tablespoons of EVOO and bring up to proper heat. Add chopped garlic, after it has softened and begun to caramelize, toss in the chopped onions. Let simmer until onions are translucent. Add in the ground turkey to brown the meat. Add the Cumin, Chili Powder, bay Leaves, salt and white pepper. When Meat has been thoroughly cooked, add the 24 ounces of Salsa Verde and bring temperature up to a boil. This permits the flavors to cook into the meat.
Once you get a light boil, turn down to simmer and add the chopped celery (including the leafy parts), Green & Yellow Bell Pepper strips, spinach (if using). Let these cook down a bit. When those ingredients have become fully incorporated into the chili, add in the chopped Tomatillos. Simmer a few minutes and then add in the rinsed and drained white beans both small and large and the can of Pinto beans w/jalapenos. Simmer until thick.
Ten minutes before you plan to serve the chili, add in your chopped green onions. This will ensure that they still retain their color, shape and a little crunch.
When you serve this Chili, you don't want the cheese garnish to cover up the beautiful green and white colors you have worked so hard to achieve. Therefore, add a palmful of the shredded Pepper jack (or white cheddar if you prefer) in the bottom of the bowls and then top with the chili. The hot chili will melt the cheese. Then, top the chili with diced Jalepeno. Serve.
This Chili can be a little thin depending upon thickness of the Salsa Verde you use. It shouldn't be a problem, but if it is, I have an easy remedy:
If your Chili does not thicken to the degree that you like it, there's a little trick you can do to achieve the body you want. Sprinkle in Instant Mashed Potato flakes, one quarter cup at a time until you achieve the desired thickness. Go lightly with this, however, because any leftovers will wind up even thicker as it sits. If you do this, you should not add more than one cup of Potato flakes to this amount of Chili.
Cook's Notes:
*If using California Bay leaves you will need to double amount because they are less flavorful... You can tell if they are CA bay leaves because they will appear less green in color than real Bay leaves and more brownish. CA Bay Leaves are cheaper and are usually found in the Hispanic Food section in cellophane bags. its okay to use them so long as you compensate for their lower potency.
** You should be able to find these smaller White Beans right in the grocery store. They say "Small White beans" right on the label. If you cannot, you can just use tweo more cans of Cannelli. I prefer using the two different sizes because it looks nice and provides more variety of texture in you mouth as you eat it.
*** You may want to omit these if you open them up and they appear very dark. I only include them because they have a slightly golden color and they add some variety to the dish. They can, however, ruin the look of the dish if too dark. You be the judge.
One last thing - Tomatillos are not actually related to Tomatos. They are in the same family as Gooseberries. They have a delicate texture and flavor. if you cannot find fresh tomatillos for this recipe, you may simply add some more Salsa Verde.
I hope some of you try this! The Chili Verde holds up well during reheating and also freezes well. So, even if there aren't a lot of mouths to feed, you can make this and put some away for future meals. I have some photos of this, but I have to take the time to upload them and edit them. I'll add a note to this thread when I have pix for you all.[/b]
You may notice that I omit Cilantro from this recipe. I happen to believe it is an overpowering flavor that has no place in a recipe depending upon the mild and unassuming Tomatillo for the main flavor of this dish. There may well be some Cilantro in your Salsa Verde that you use as an ingredient and that's fine. Just don't be tempted to add any fresh cilantro to this dish. It can ruin the balance of flavors. Flat leaf parlsey can add the needed green.
Chili Verde
(Green Chili)
Ingredients - in order of addition
2 Lbs. of Ground Turkey (you can get buy with 1.5 Lbs) You may also use ground chicken or ground pork.
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil for sautéing the garlic & onions
1 Large Onion, Chopped (but not chopped too finely, you want to see it in the Chili)
3 Cloves of garlic - chopped fine
2 Bay leaves*
1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon White Pepper
Dash of salt
24 ounces of Salsa Verde (Green Salsa made with Tomatillos instead of tomatoes)
3 Celery stalks, coarsely chopped (throw in the leafy celery tops too)
2 Green Bell peppers, Seeded and cut into 1/4 inch strips
2 Yellow Bell Peppers, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch strips
Optional - 1 bag of ReadyPak baby Spinach leaves (which have been prewashed - saves time)
6 fresh Tomatillos, peeled and chopped (they have a leathery peel)
2 Cans white Kidney beans (Cannelli), drained & rinsed
2 Cans Small White Beans (these are about half the size of Cannelli) ** drained & rinsed.
1 Can of Pinto Beans w/Jalepno - NOT drained or rinsed***
1 bunch of Green onions, chopped (including the green parts)
2 Cups of Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
Optional - diced Jalepeno for garnish
Directions for preparation:
In a large Anodized Stock Pot, add the 2 tablespoons of EVOO and bring up to proper heat. Add chopped garlic, after it has softened and begun to caramelize, toss in the chopped onions. Let simmer until onions are translucent. Add in the ground turkey to brown the meat. Add the Cumin, Chili Powder, bay Leaves, salt and white pepper. When Meat has been thoroughly cooked, add the 24 ounces of Salsa Verde and bring temperature up to a boil. This permits the flavors to cook into the meat.
Once you get a light boil, turn down to simmer and add the chopped celery (including the leafy parts), Green & Yellow Bell Pepper strips, spinach (if using). Let these cook down a bit. When those ingredients have become fully incorporated into the chili, add in the chopped Tomatillos. Simmer a few minutes and then add in the rinsed and drained white beans both small and large and the can of Pinto beans w/jalapenos. Simmer until thick.
Ten minutes before you plan to serve the chili, add in your chopped green onions. This will ensure that they still retain their color, shape and a little crunch.
When you serve this Chili, you don't want the cheese garnish to cover up the beautiful green and white colors you have worked so hard to achieve. Therefore, add a palmful of the shredded Pepper jack (or white cheddar if you prefer) in the bottom of the bowls and then top with the chili. The hot chili will melt the cheese. Then, top the chili with diced Jalepeno. Serve.
This Chili can be a little thin depending upon thickness of the Salsa Verde you use. It shouldn't be a problem, but if it is, I have an easy remedy:
If your Chili does not thicken to the degree that you like it, there's a little trick you can do to achieve the body you want. Sprinkle in Instant Mashed Potato flakes, one quarter cup at a time until you achieve the desired thickness. Go lightly with this, however, because any leftovers will wind up even thicker as it sits. If you do this, you should not add more than one cup of Potato flakes to this amount of Chili.
Cook's Notes:
*If using California Bay leaves you will need to double amount because they are less flavorful... You can tell if they are CA bay leaves because they will appear less green in color than real Bay leaves and more brownish. CA Bay Leaves are cheaper and are usually found in the Hispanic Food section in cellophane bags. its okay to use them so long as you compensate for their lower potency.
** You should be able to find these smaller White Beans right in the grocery store. They say "Small White beans" right on the label. If you cannot, you can just use tweo more cans of Cannelli. I prefer using the two different sizes because it looks nice and provides more variety of texture in you mouth as you eat it.
*** You may want to omit these if you open them up and they appear very dark. I only include them because they have a slightly golden color and they add some variety to the dish. They can, however, ruin the look of the dish if too dark. You be the judge.
One last thing - Tomatillos are not actually related to Tomatos. They are in the same family as Gooseberries. They have a delicate texture and flavor. if you cannot find fresh tomatillos for this recipe, you may simply add some more Salsa Verde.
I hope some of you try this! The Chili Verde holds up well during reheating and also freezes well. So, even if there aren't a lot of mouths to feed, you can make this and put some away for future meals. I have some photos of this, but I have to take the time to upload them and edit them. I'll add a note to this thread when I have pix for you all.[/b]