Cornbread Topped Chili Con Carne

Haven't had chili in almost 3yrs, but for some reason, that's all i was craving yesterday, so I decided to make it. I used ground turkey breast instead of ground beef and it came out great!!  You can also use ground chicken, but if you do, use less cumin. 



CHILI Ingredients                     CORNBREAD Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbs dried or crushed chili flakes 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tsps dried oregano
• 2 tsps dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 red bell pepper (diced)
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 can chopped/diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbs of cocoa powder (YES)
• 1 med canned red kidney beans

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1/8 cup whole wheat flour (you can use all-purpose flour)

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp nutmeg 

2 tsp oil (any type of oil is fine, i use olive oil)

2 eggs

1 tsp molasses  (you can also use honey)

1 cup of milk (preferably half and half or buttermilk) 

DIRECTIONS

For the Chili 

In a saucepan/pot heat the oil and add garlic and chopped onions. make sure the heat is not on high, because you dont want to caramelize the onions, you just want to soften it. As the onions begin to soften add cumin, oregano, basil, chili flakes and thyme.. stir, and then add the diced red bell pepper. 

let cook for about a minute, and then ass the ground turkey (or what ever meat you decide to use). use a fork or spoon to separate the meat as your putting it in, but make sure you dont mash the meat. mix it with the ingredients aleady in the pot.. and let cook for about 5mins or until the meat browns. 

add ketchup, tomato paster and the canned diced tomato and stir. add the chicken stock and stir.. Then add salt to taste. Let the  mixture cook on low heat for about an hour, then add the cocoa and drained kidney beans, leave the pot cover partially open and let cook on low heat for another 30 mins or so. the key to great chili is letting it all the ingredients simmer for at least an hour and a half. the longer, the better.

For the cornbread: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Add cornmeal flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and whole wheat flour to a bowl and mix together, then in a separate bowl mix egg, milk, molasses and oil together. Then slowly pour in the mixed dried ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until it's a nice yellow batter. 

If the pot/pan you used is oven-safe then you don't have to pour the chili into a baking pan. if it isn't oven safe, then you should pour the chili into an and oven safe pan or dish. 

Then pour the cornmeal batter evenly over the chili and bake in the oven for about 20mins. 

It should look like this when it it's ready. 

Let it cool down for a few minutes and then serve. 

Enjoy :)