Green Tomato & Turkey Chili

Well, two things have happened in the last few days that made this dish feasible. One was, of course, Thanksgiving; from whence came the cooked turkey and the broth. The other was a good hard frost in the garden, which left us with about half a bushel of green tomatoes. You can expect to hear more about them, as we try to find ways to use them.

This is an adaptation of a traditional Mexican dish, usually made with pork and tomatillos. To adapt it back, replace the turkey with finely cubed stewing pork, which should be browned with the diced green chile at the start of the cooking process, and left in to continue cooking. If you have tomatillos, use an equal quantity as of the green tomatoes. They need to have the husks removed and be washed, as they are rather sticky, but otherwise the recipe is the same.

Note the emphasis on stirring. For some reason, this really wanted to stick and scorch, and I just caught it a couple of time. Keep it at a good simmer, but over medium heat. All these quantities are pretty approximate, especially once you've made the salsa; adjust them as you like.

4 servings
45 minutes prep time


Make the Salsa Verde:
4 cups chopped green tomatoes (or husked tomatillos)
1 or 2 Jalapeño chiles
1 medium onion
OR 4-5 shallots
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon rubbed oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed, ground

Wash, core and chop the tomatoes and Jalapeños. Peel and chop the onions and garlic. These can all be chopped fairly coarsely, as they are going into the food processor.

Process everything listed above, divided in two batches lest the food processor overflow, until all the vegetables are reduced to fairly small chips.

Make the Chili:
1 or 2 mild chiles; cubanelles, banana peppers or bell peppers
2 tablespoons sunflower seed oil
3 cups cooked white beans
2 cups diced cooked turkey
1 cup turkey broth

De-stem and de-seed the mild chiles, and cut them neatly into dice. Sauté them in the oil, in a large stewing pot, until soft and lightly browned. Add the salsa verde, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the drained, cooked beans, the diced turkey and the broth. Taste and check the seasonings. Simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, again stirring frequently. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped raw cilantro, to liven up the colour a bit, and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt is nice too.