NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
January 15, 1998
Besides waiting for the Publishers Clearing House prize patrol to show up at your door on Sunday, Jan. 25, I'm betting most of you plan to take part in Super Bowl XXXII festivities. I remember watching the entire game for both of the first two Super Bowls. I was a Green Bay Packer backer then.
Nowadays, I'm an uninterested fan of football—but not of the Super Bowl itself because the seemingly never-ending pregame, half-time and post-game hoopla offers ample opportunities for engaging in the most important of Super Bowl activities: eating.
Crispy, garlicky chicken wings. Barbecued chicken gizzards. Stuffed mushrooms. A plethora of cheese balls and sliced meats. Chili con queso and homemade tortilla chips. Mini-pizzas. Bagel bites. Veggies, crackers until the cows come home, and an assortment of hot and cold dips. Meatballs accompanied by a tangy mustard sauce. Smoked fish teamed with lemony cream cheese spiked with red pepper sauce. In a word: snacks.
I've either been served, made or talked about making all of those goodies for previous Super Bowls. This year I'm thinking about making something a little more substantial. Maybe a huge submarine sandwich, although I'm saving myself for a Po-Boy sometime during the Mardi Gras Carnival Season (more on that in a week to come). The thought of barbecued ribs for Super Bowl Sunday gets my taste buds salivating, but because I bought a wood smoker last summer and have made ribs on it, I fear that the oven-baked version won't satisfy my elevated expectations.
The key to successful Super Bowl eating, I believe, involves selection. Serve only those delights in which you seldom indulge. That way, if the game is lame you'll at least be able to revel in the food.
Then again, maybe you should try something totally new. Those of you with spouses or significant others who detest football might use the Super Bowl as the occasion to spark their interest in this armchair entertainment. Eating a new dish might be just the trick, especially if the football loather doesn't have to make it. What follows is a recipe for an easy-to-make chili that might get detractors thinking about holding up the white flag of surrender.
White Chili
Yield: 15 servingsIngredients:
2½ pounds ground turkey
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons crushed cumin seed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups hot fat-free chicken broth
1 pound cooked bratwurst or potato sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, tightly packed
4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms, steamed
2 15½-ounce cans great northern beans
1 15½-ounce can garbanzo beans
1 15½-ounce can white hominy
3 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
salt and white pepper
sour cream
grated Monterey jack cheese
sliced green onionsProcedure:
Brown ground turkey, drain and set aside. In a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven cook onion in oil for 2 to 3 minutes; add garlic and cumin and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add flour to onion mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly; add hot broth and let mixture come to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce to simmer and add cooked turkey sausage, cilantro, mushrooms, beans, hominy and chilies. Cook for 30 minutes; season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle chili into serving bowls and stir in a dollop of sour cream; top with cheese and green onions.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
Originating with the Aztecs of Mexico, chili is a food with many definitions. Many think of the familiar version with chili peppers or powder, tomatoes and beef, usually known as chili con carne. Beans were originally added as a low-cost meat extender.
Some people avoid beans because of their reputation for being "musical" due to the undigestible sugars they contain. Beans, however, are an economical low-fat source of protein and carbohydrates. They're also produced in abundance in North Dakota.
One of the ingredients that lends both its name and flavor to the recipe is the chili pepper, an excellent source of vitamin C. You can adjust the spiciness of this dish by your choice of the amount or type of pepper used.
Without the sour cream, cheese and onion toppings a serving of white chili provides about 340 calories, 15 grams of fat and 97 percent of the daily recommended vitamin C per serving. If you're a waistline watcher, remember that a pound of sausage can add 90 or more grams of fat and more than 800 calories to a recipe. Adding an extra 16-ounce can of beans in place of the sausage will add more fiber and save you about 10 grams of fat per serving. If you want the added flavor of sausage, try a lower-fat version.
This recipe will make a large pot of chili that could serve a lot of football fans. If you're not cooking for a mob, try freezing it and enjoy a vacation from cooking later. Whatever your definition of chili, a version featuring poultry and white beans is a tasty break from tradition.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
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