I don’t mind winter. I like tobogganing, skating, skiing and shovelling the driveway (now that I own a snow blower). I even like a good old winter storm. However, I don’t like the cold - that extreme wind chill –20°C, keep your kids and pets indoors kind of winter weather. I find the best way to combat cold weather is to fire up the slow cooker and fight back. Having a roast, soup, casserole, stew or chili simmering away for the afternoon, filling the kitchen with warm aromas is the best way to beat the winter blues.

This time round I decided to make a Turkey Chili, but feel free to run with the concept and add some of your own personality to the crock pot. Extra lean ground beef, sausage, pork, chicken, lamb or a even a mixture will all work well in a chili. As for aromatics, my culinary instincts lead me to the trinity of celery, carrot and onions for base flavour. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you couldn’t add peppers, sweet potato and corn for example. It all depends where you want to go with your chili as this will also help determine what herbs and spices to incorporate. I kept mine simple using only chili and cumin, finishing with fresh parsley and chocolate. The last ingredient, chocolate is a touch I borrowed from Mexican and South American cooking. It adds an earthy flavour tone and pairs nicely with the other spicy and smoky flavours in the chili.

Slow Cooker Turkey chili
Serves 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes plus 5 hours in the slow cooker

1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil
1 lb (454 g) Compliments Balance Extra Lean Minced Turkey [1]
½ cup (125 mL) finely diced onion
½ cup (125 mL) diced carrot
½ cup (125 ml) diced celery
2 tsp (10 mL) minced garlic
1/4 cup (63 mL) tomato paste
2 cans (796 mL each) Compliments Organic Diced Plum Tomatoes [2]
1 can (540 mL) mixed beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup (125 mL) Compliments Hot Organic Salsa [3]
2 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) diced jalapeno pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) chili powder
1 tsp (5 mL) cumin
1 tsp (5 mL) smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup (63 mL) chopped Compliments Fresh Parsley
1/4 cup (63 mL) finely grated dark chocolate

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook and brown the turkey, then transfer it to the slow cooker. Return the pan to the heat and sauté the onion, carrot, and celery until softened, about 4-5 minutes, stir in the garlic and add all the vegetables to the slow cooker.
2. Stir the tomato paste, tomatoes, beans, salsa, jalapeno, sugar, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper into the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 5 hours.
3. Taste the chili and adjust the seasoning if needed. Stir in the dark chocolate until melted and mix in the fresh parsley. Serve with rolls or Chef Ian’s Mini Jalapeno Cornbread [4]

Happy Slow Cooking!
Chef Ryan Skelton