You’ve probably noticed my food posts have become sparse. The reason? I cracked my ribs. Yes, this is a thing. Ugh. I got a bad cough, one of those deep doozies that sticks around for a looong time. And now, the smallest of repetitive actions like leaning over to chop, slice and dice are not good. Ouch. At first, I did what I usually do. Deny, deny, deny and tough it out. Finally, I developed a better approach. What’s that saying about failure is the mother of invention? Okay, so I’m not changing the world here, but I did start to think of how I might convert a tasty artisan recipe using healthy pre-cut and pre-cooked food products.
If you’re pinched for time or cracked a few ribs yourself, here’s my comforting autumn chili recipe inspired by this chili cookout from Eva Kosmas Flores. It’s my rib crackin’ chicken or turkey sausage chili recipe using pre-cut autumn squash, butternut being the most common. Tip: use the edge of your stirring spoon to gently cut in half the largest of butternut cubes as they soften during cooking.
The vintage french cocotte is from Elsie Green House & Home. Not making something new is the greenest thing of all.
Please share your own rib crackin’ story and remedies that worked for you in the comments section below.
- Splash of olive oil
- 2 lbs. pre-cut butternut squash
- 1 lb. pre-cut roasted chicken or 1 lb. turkey sausage, casings removed
- 1 TBSP chipotle sauce from a jar or squeeze bottle
- 1½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili chipotle powder
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 rounded TBSP capers, rinsed
- 32 oz. chicken broth or more for a soup-like chili
- 1 15 oz. can of black eyed peas, rinsed
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add a generous splash of olive oil. If using turkey sausage instead of chicken, sauté the turkey first until cooked through. Remove from pan, set aside and deglaze pot with a splash of white wine before adding spices and butternut squash. Add chipotle sauce, cumin, crushed peppers, turmeric and chipotle chili powder. Stir in squash cubes and cover in spices. Continue to simmer 10-12 minutes, covered. Add chicken broth and bring to a very gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until squash has softened. Add cooked chicken or sausage, rinsed black eyed peas and capers. Heat a further 10 minutes until hot and serve. This chili makes great leftovers because the extra overnight in the spices makes it bolder the next day. It's not too spicy, so if you're like my eldest son, feel free to add sriracha sauce.
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