I am so sorry. You've probably been so worried about me. Perhaps you thought I had gone off the deep end, drinking too many Creme Brulee Stout floats and you worried you'd find me curled up in a fetal position, hiccuping and mumbling, "...not enough...complexity of flavor..." Well, worry no more. I am back! AREN'T YOU RELIEVED?! AREN'T YOU EXCITED?!
Oh, okay, fine. Pippin is kind of over it.
Anyway, to make up for my absence, I made two things this weekend. So stop making me feel guilty, already.
Catholic,
Emjoy
Recipes #8 and 9: Turkey and Roasted Butternut Squash Chili AND Heirloom Tomatoes Cornbread with Cheddar Cheese (which is a lie, since I put neither heirloom tomatoes nor cheddar, but more on that later)
Choice of libation: Having just watched the movie Captain Phillips, I was craving a Dark and Stormy, which is typically made with dark rum which we didn't have. But we DID have Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, so Chad made a variation he called Tropical...something. I think I was drunk when he told me.
The Tropical Something consists of ginger beer, Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, Coconut Rum, and lime juice. It made me work very hard.
Choice of Music: The Great Summit - The Master Takes which is an album of Louis Armstrong doing Duke Ellington music. INCREDIBLE.
The glaze you put over the squash before you roast it smells divine. I may have tasted a bit of it. To make sure it was okay.
I mean...come ON. So this goes in the oven while you start sauteing the rest of the chili...
...so that you can puree the roasted butternut squash and mix it in with everything else. All those flavors developing at once...I may be drooling on this keyboard just thinking about it. There will not be a picture of that.
Like I said, I really like recipes where you just dump things in a pot. I should mention that I subbed the jalapeno for two poblano peppers because I enjoy the smokiness. Also I am a wimp.
...so then while it simmers for two hours, you can either drink and listen to jazz OR start a cornbread. I did all three.
Isn't this cast iron skillet gorgeous? THANKS BROOKE AND DOUG! WE LOVE IT! (Brooke and Doug gave us this for Christmas. It seemed correct to make cornbread with it. Also, please note the pajama pants that I have been wearing for the past three days.)
Separating the dry and wet ingredients like a good little baker.
Okay, so this is where I started to veer away from the recipe. They didn't have good heirloom tomatoes at the store, so I got sun-dried tomatoes instead. And we had extra pepper jack cheese that pairs really nicely with the other flavors.
Um...this was that time when I poured the batter into the skillet. You can't see it but I added an extra half cup of shredded pepper jack cheese. For calcium.
OH MY GAWD.
My camera sucks, or maybe it was tearing up, like I am right now. So it is blurry though I tried to plate it as nicely as possible. I also put a dollop of greek yogurt because I forgot sour cream, but you could put whatever your heart desires on the top of the chili.
As yummy as the cornbread was on its own, crumbling it IN the chili was a really good call because the sun-dried tomatoes and pepper jack cheese and corn and all of the things...I planned on taking a picture of that. But. Well. You know.
I AM THE CAPTAIN NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TURKEY AND ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHILI
stolen from thisgalcooks.com
2 C diced butternut squash (I used frozen)
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp ground chipotle pepper
1 lb lean ground turkey
½ C sweet onion, chopped
1 medium jalapeno, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ C celery, diced
1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5oz diced tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 packet of tex mex chili seasoning (I used an all natural one that I found, use that if you can or make your own seasoning!)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 28oz can of tomato sauce
To roast the Butternut Squash
Whisk together the 3 tbsp olive oil, cinnamon, maple syrup and ground chipotle pepper
Pour over the diced butternut squash.
Spread over a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven, cool a little and then puree in a blender.
For the Chili
In a large pot, saute the garlic, jalapeno, celery and onion in 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the turkey and cook until browned.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Stir in the pureed roasted butternut squash.
Cover and simmer for 1-2 hours.
Serve in bowls with your favorite toppings such as sour cream, queso fresco, cheddar cheese and cilantro
HEIRLOOM TOMATO CORNBREAD WITH CHEDDAR
(even though I actually made SUNDRIED TOMATO CORNBREAD WITH PEPPERJACK)
stolen from adventures-in-cooking.com
3 Small Heirloom Tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
3/4 Cup Cooked Corn Kernels
1 Cup Corn Meal
3/4 Cup Sour Cream
3/4 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
2/3 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Sugar
6 Tablespoons Butter, melted
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl mix together the corn meal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly blended. Set aside. In a large bowl mix together the milk, sour cream, corn kernels, and butter with a paddle attachment at medium-slow speed until blended. Then add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Turn off the mixer and stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese.
Scoop the batter into a well-greased cast iron skillet (mine is about 7.5 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep) and sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over the top. Place the tomato slices on top of the cheese, then sprinkle the remaining cheese over them. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, placing a sheet of tinfoil over the pan at the 40 minute mark to help keep it from over browning on top. The cornbread is done when a knife inserted into the center of the bread comes out relatively clean (aside from gooey cheesy goodness). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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