After a small game of russian roulette with slices of said chilli we came to the conclusion that all the heat is definitely in the membrane and seeds and that I can handle hotter chillies than Lee. Heh heh.
Boasting about my tolerance for hot food aside I thought a bag of chillies was as good an excuse as any to get the blog up and running again so I asked for some suggestions on what to make with them. Many suggestions of chilli jams and chutneys and oils but I can't be arsed with the preparation of jars etc - especially not in a Manhattan kitchen. Then April sent me a recipe for turkey pumpkin chilli that sounded yummy especially with autumn on the way. Not capable of leaving well alone I made considerable changes to the recipe but am pretty pleased with the results.
This will be delicious just with bread or rice, or if you're a wuss (like Lee - sorry mate!) then slap on some sour cream as well.
Ingredients (makes a good old freezer full):
2 Tbspns olive oil
4 large cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 large red onions (finely chopped)
A few rashers of bacon, finely chopped
3 pounds minced turkey
2 large green peppers (chopped)
4 Tspns cumin
2 Tspns ground coriander
10 hot red chillies (seeded and finely chopped)
5 jalapenos (finely chopped - leave some of the seeds and membrane in these ones)
1 heaped Tbspn cocoa (I had fresh but powdered would be good too)
3 cans pumpkin puree
3 cans chopped tomatoes
3Tbspns tomato paste
3 cans chickpeas
2 cups of beef stock
1. Throw the oil, garlic, onions, coriander and cumin all in a big casserole - cook them on a medium heat for about 5 or 10 minutes until the onions are translucent
2. Add in the turkey, bacon, peppers and chillies
3. Continue to cook and stir until the meat has browned and then add in the grated or powdered cocoa
4. Add in all the remaining ingredients and cook over a low heat stirring occasionally for a good 2 or 3 hours
5. Reduce it down until it's a good consistency and season with salt and chilli sauce until you have your ideal flavour. Yum!
