Warm up with a bowl of chili, earthy yet clean, rich but not heavy. Just the right spice and delicious with cornbread.
Welcome to the shortest/longest month where winter lingers and spring teases (at least here in the pacific northwest). Before I baked February was almost unbearable but now I take comfort in slow rising bread, slow cooked soup, the heat of the oven, the warmth of the stove. Corn bread still steaming, a spicy bowl of chili, candlelight and dinner music, an excuse to wrap myself up in a blanket and read.
Pied Beauty
Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1844 – 1889
Glory be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise Him.
Weeknight Chili w/ground turkey, orca beans, and green chile
Whether or not you soak your beans is up to you- it doesn’t speed the cook time but it might sooth your gut. Or it might not.
ingredients
- 2 cups beans ( I used Orca beans but I can’t help but wonder if some of their pied beauty was lost in the chili)
- 8 cups of liquid ( I like to use a combo of stock and beer, something light like a lager or a pilsner)
- 1 tsp diamond kosher salt
- 1 large yellow or white onion chopped
- 2 tsps ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground corriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp fresh oregano-minced (or sub 1/2 tsp of dry)
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp ground white or black pepper
- a pinch more salt
- fresh lime and avocado for garnish, some yogurt is always nice too
instructions
- Combine beans, liquid, and salt in a large pot, bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, about an hour and a half. You can use a crock pot but add another hour or so to the cook time.
- Meanwhile in a large sauté pan cook the onion and spices over medium heat until soft, add the meat and cook, breaking down into bite-sized pieces until slightly browned. Finally add in the green chili and garlic. Sauté for another three or four minutes. Once the beans are tender but not squishy soft add the cooked meat mixture to the beans and allow to simmer for another 15-30 minutes before serving.
- Garnish as desired. Serve hot.

Weeknight Chili w/ground turkey, orca beans, and green chile
Ingredients
- 2 cups beans I used Orca beans but I can’t help but wonder if some of their brindled beauty was lost in the chili
- 8 cups of liquid I like to use a combo of stock and beer, something light like a lager or a pilsner
- 1 tsp diamond kosher salt
- 1 large yellow or white onion chopped
- 2 tsps ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground corriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp fresh oregano-minced or sub 1/2 tsp of dry
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp ground white or black pepper
- a pinch more salt
- fresh lime and avocado for garnish some yogurt is always nice too
Instructions
- Combine beans, liquid, and salt in a large pot, bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, about an hour and a half. You can use a crock pot but add another hour or so to the cook time.
- Meanwhile in a large sauté pan cook the onion and spices over medium heat until soft, add the meat and cook, breaking down into bite-sized pieces until slightly browned. Finally add in the green chili and garlic. Sauté for another three or four minutes. Once the beans are tender but not squishy soft add the cooked meat mixture to the beans and allow to simmer for another 15-30 minutes before serving.
- Garnish as desired. Serve hot.
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