July 1, 2009 9:09 AM
Black Bean Turkey Chili
I have definitely learned my lesson.
I don't think I'd ever encountered poison ivy before. I'd heard the saying, "leaves of three let them be" but it wasn't until after pulling out a few weeds along the border of our property,
with my bare hands, that I realized my mistake. I immediately ran inside to wash up but it was too late.
At first, the rash was just on my lower legs. After a couple days with no improvement (in fact, it was getting worse), I went to the doctor, who gave me
Prednisone to help clear it up. After four days the medicine was gone but I wasn't feeling any better. The itching was driving me crazy and nothing was helping. All of a sudden I started to itch ALL OVER and I couldn't keep myself from scratching. I wanted to crawl out of my skin.
When I woke up the next morning, my
entire body was covered in a rash - arms, chest, stomach, back. I tried to stay calm. I took a cool shower, slathered on some lotion, and tried to do as little as possible.
Inevitably, I started to get antsy, so I wandered into the kitchen and turned my attention to chili.
My
Rancho Gordo order had arrived recently and I was eager to try the beans I'd heard such good things about.
The chili was good, although I'm not sure a hot/spicy meal was the best idea for my condition.
It's now been a month and I STILL have scars on my legs. I'm never going near poison ivy again.
1/2 lb dried black beans
olive oil
1 onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 package (1.3 lbs) ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp coriander
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sriracha
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
In a bowl, cover the dried beans with about 2 inches of water. Let soak 4-6 hours.
In a medium saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil. Add the soaked beans and liquid (you can drain them and add fresh water if you want but it's not necessary). Simmer until the beans are tender (this could take a couple hours).
In a dutch oven, heat about 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Add the chopped green pepper and ground turkey. Cook until turkey is no longer pink, stirring to crumble it up while it cooks. Add the cooked beans (no need to drain them) and the remaining ingredients, except for the cilantro. Simmer for about an hour, adding water periodically if necessary. Before serving, stir in cilantro.
