Perfect Night for a Chili Night

First of all, it is my great pleasure to introduce to you...my new dutch oven! She's a beauty, a 5.5 quart oval Racheal Ray dutch oven in bright orange. Now onto chili...

Yes, I know, I'm swooning over a pot.

Today is November 1st. It was also the first day of daylight savings time, and it was pitch dark in good, old northern Boston by 5:30pm. It felt like the absolutely perfect night to make this pumpkin turkey chili I've been thinking about for weeks now. Pumpkin, in chili, you ask? Yes! Pumpkin puree isn't as sweet as you think of - its not pumpkin pie filling, its real pureed pumpkin with nothing added. The pumpkin thickens the chili and adds a warmth and bit of sweetness to the smoky and spicy flavors of standard chili. In the post about this recipe on the blog Serious Eats, the writer suggested that a dash of cinnamon would be appropriate, so after I seasoned the chili per the initial recipe, I tasted it to see if the spice would add anything. I decided to try it and mixed in two good shakes of cinnamon. The cinnamon, as well as a slightly heavier hand of cayenne, added a deeper flavor at the end of the bite.

The chili is ready to eat

I served up heaping bowls with a good sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese and a hunk of multi-grain bread (Trader Joe's Peasant Bread). I have to have something to sop up my chili. It felt like fall and football. It eats like a great traditional bowl of chili, with a wonderful underlying flavor that only enhances the dish. We scarfed it up!

Just about to eat it up!

It couldn't have been less labor-intensive, taking me probably 45 minutes in total, from chopping to serving, and 20 of that is just waiting for it to simmer. Plus you only need one pot. It's incredibly healthy - the meat is turkey, the pumpkin has a wealth of vitamins and good stuff, and there's hardly a bit of fat in the entire thing. Finally, it is cheap and big! I spent only about $10 on ingredients and had all of the spices on hand already. Ken and I had huge portions tonight, and there's at least 3 more smaller servings left. I can't wait to try it again tomorrow for lunch with a big slice of bread. I'll bet the flavors will meld even more in the fridge over night!