Turkey Chili with Skillet Cornbread

                                                                                                                                                                        

Here's an oldie, but a goodie, pulled from the archives of Christmases past. I thought it would be a nice seasonal recipe to share, despite the UN-seasonably warm weather we are enjoying here in San Francisco. After all, who DOESN'T love a good, healthy turkey chili with a nice side of buttery, decadent skillet corn bread?

These two recipes from Epicurious never fail to garner raves, along with requests for second helpings. Simple and straight-forward, I have never felt the need to tinker with either the ingredients or the instructions. My only suggestion would be to try adding some extra chili powder, if you like your chili spicy, as this is a decidedly mild version.

And so, without futher ado......

Turkey Chili with White Beans

(from Epicurious)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
• 3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained
• Chopped red onion
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Plain low-fat yogurt or light sour cream

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with back of spoon. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)

Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and yogurt separately.

Sage and Honey Skillet Cornbread

(also from Epicurious)

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage plus 12 whole fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat heavy 10-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron) in oven 10 minutes.

Whisk first 4 ingredients and 2 teaspoons chopped sage in large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, honey, and egg in medium bowl to blend.

Remove skillet from oven; add 1/2 cup butter. Swirl until butter is melted. Pour all except 2 tablespoons butter into egg mixture. Add whole sage leaves to butter in skillet; toss to coat. Arrange leaves over bottom of skillet, spacing apart.

Add egg mixture to cornmeal mixture; stir until just combined (do not overmix; batter will be wet and runny). Pour batter over sage leaves in skillet. Bake until browned around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool in skillet 10 minutes. Invert onto platter. If necessary, reposition sage leaves atop cornbread.