Turkey and White Bean Chili

I love chili. I love anything that comes together slowly in a big pot and that you can taste as you go, adding things, adjusting the flavor, mixing it up as you wish. Plus, you can do so much with the toppings. Sometimes I serve it with tortilla chips for scooping, sometimes over rice, sometimes with the works. This weekend I made Turkey and White Bean Chili from Epicurious, but I ended up changing it quite a bit. The recipe itself is fantastic, but, as in most things, I am particular about my chili. It can’t have big chunks of tomatoes, and it has to be thick, not soupy. Plus, I’m still on my andouille kick.

The original recipe is here, and my modified version follows.

Turkey and White Bean Chili
adapted from recipe at Epicurious

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
3 cloves garlic
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound andouille sausage, casings removed
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 beef bouillon cube
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 19-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained
2 tablespoons parsley

Shredded cheddar, sour cream, and cornbread, for serving

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat and sauté onions until translucent, then add jalapeno and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Tear sausage into bite-size pieces and add to pan; add turkey and stir. When browned, drain off grease. Season mixture with chili powder, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, coco powder, salt, pepper, and cinnamon stick. Add tomato sauce, beef broth, and bouillon cube. Bring mixture to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.

As mixture cooks, taste for seasoning. When cinnamon has reached the desired intensity, remove stick (I left mine in for about half an hour). At the end of cooking time, adjust other seasonings if needed and stir in beans and parsley. Remove bay leaves and serve with the works.