Green Chili with Beans

An improvised green chili with white beans and turkey based loosely on a family red-chili recipe.

• 3 pints white kidney beans, or pinto beans (or great northern beans, or some mixture). (3 15oz cans works if you don't want to cook the beans yourself)
• 1 27oz can catch [Hatch] mild chopped and roasted green (New Mexico) chiles (http://www.shop.hatchmexicanfood.com/product.sc?categoryId=2&productId=5). This also works out to a little over a pound of roasted whole chiles if you want to roast them yourself or snag them at the farmer's market, and then remove the skins and seeds and chop them.
• 1 28oz can tomatillos (whole), chopped coarsely
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (ideally dark meat). Can sub. cubed or slow-cooked-shredded pork.
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp green [Hatch Valley New Mexico] chile powder (http://www.wholesalechili.com/chili_powder.htm). This is for hot. Use 1/2 for mild and 1 to 1 1/2 for medium.
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp oregano (or a little less if you're using the stronger mexican oregano)
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• olive oil

Put a splash of olive oil in a medium to large pot, add in the meat (or leave it out for a vegetarian version) and let it start to cook, stirring to prevent sticking. When it's about half done (all white, but pink in the middle), add the garlic and onions. When the onions are translucent, add everything else. Spices may need to be adjusted to taste. If you can't get green chile powder, you'll need to substitute with chopped fresh jalapenos or new mexicos, or cut up dry ones - it's mostly for heat, but also for flavor. For a mild chili, it might be left out entirely. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for as long as you can wait, but at least 30 minutes. If it's too watery, leave the top off to reduce, otherwise, leave it on. You'll want to taste it and tweak the spices for the batch at hand.

Best with a generous dollop of sour cream.

If you are ambitious, start substituting the canned ingredients with fresh ones and do the roasting and other prep yourself.