Chili

Chili was our traditional Halloween night meal before all our little goblins ran out the door to trick or treat. Now that the goblins have grown and no longer trick or treat, I still long for a bowl of old red when October rolls around. I like to serve this buffet style with bowls of condiments so that each person can build their own bowl. I usually serve cheese, sour cream, onions, avocados and fritos. I also serve a green salad and corn bread on the side. My corn bread recipe is listed in September 2011.

Serves 12

2 pounds ground turkey
4 cups beef stock
2 onions, diced
4 cloves of minced garlic
4 15 oz cans of chili beans
1 28 oz can of red enchilada sauce
1 28 oz can of tomato puree
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bottle of beer

Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and the garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add the chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika and stir. Add the ground turkey, beer and beef stock. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat until you get a slow boil. Season the pot with salt and pepper to your taste. Cook for 30 minutes until the meat has fallen apart and is cooked through. Add the beans, enchilada sauce and tomato puree. Simmer for 1 hour. If you want to thicken up the chili, add 4 tablespoons of corn starch to 1/2 cup of cold water. Add to the chili, stirring as you do so. Return the pot to a boil and serve.