Chili powder (Recipe: turkey tacos)

Some like it hot.

I like it really hot.

I like it hot enough to make my scalp tingle, my sinuses drip, and my eyes water. (Do I need to mention that I'm talking about food now, not the weather?) I wasn't always like this, but a trip to New Orleans years ago started me down the pepper path, and there is no turning back.

Sometimes, though, unadulterated heat isn't the goal. When I want a more complex depth of flavor in Mexican and Southwestern dishes, I often reach for chili powder.

Are you confused by the whole chili/chile thing? Many people are, and product packaging doesn't really help, with the willy-nilly and often interchangeable use of chile, chili, chillie and chilli.

Chili-with-an-I powder is made from chile-with-an-E peppers, blended with a variety of other spices including cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic, and paprika. Each vendor (or should I say blender?) combines these basic spices in different proportions. Penzeys uses ancho chile as the base; ancho is a dried poblano pepper, not very hot, flavorful and smoky when dried. Cumin adds additional "smoke", cayenne adds a bit of heat, and oregano keeps the blend in balance. Alton Brown makes his chili powder extra-smoky by using smoked paprika.

It's easy enough to make your own chili powder, and you can adjust the heat to my taste by upping the cayenne. Chili powder will keep in an airtight container on the spice rack for three months, or in the freezer for a year without an unacceptable loss of pungency.

Once you've got chili powder in your pantry, it's a hop, skip and jump to your own barbecue sauce, enchiladas, and tacos. And remember, chili-with-an-I powder is an essential ingredient in chili-with-an-I meat and bean stew, too.

Whew!

TURKEY TACOS
Quick and oh-so-easy. Serves 4; can be doubled or tripled.

2 tsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 dried habanero chile pepper (handle with care!)
2-3 tsp chili powder (mild or hot, to taste)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes (we like Pomi brand)

8 burrito-size flour tortillas
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 large tomatoes, diced
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese

In a high-sided frying pan or sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the turkey, and stir to break up. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Add onion, and cook 3-4 minutes, until onion is translucent. While the onion is cooking, place the habanero inside a ziploc bag. Close the bag, and smash the pepper with a rolling pin or empty wine bottle. Pour the chile pepper into the pot (try not to touch the pepper), and add the chili powder, cumin and oregano. Stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Stir, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add more water if necessary, a few Tbsp at a time, to keep the sauce from getting too thick before the turkey is cooked through.

To assemble the tacos, heat a large frying pan or griddle. Lightly heat each tortilla on both sides in the dry pan. Place a tortilla on a serving plate. Add two Tbsp turkey filling in a line down the center, and top with shredded lettuce, tomato and cheese. Roll up and eat!

Comments

[Nicolle Sloane]

Oh yes! I love that sinus dripping hot too!! You know what got me into it? Sushi and wasabi. I could take the entire plop of wasabi they give you at a sushi restaurant, mix it into a little drip of soy sauce, dip my sushi piece into it and be all kinds of happy.

Thanks for the recipe! I can't wait to try it out.

[peggy Malaspina]

Hey Lydia, this is so cool about typepad.com. I am so looking forward to dining with a celebrity next weekend. Way to go girl!

[Lydia]

Peggy, welcome to The Perfect Pantry. Looking forward to dining with you, too!

Nicole, that nose-dripping heat is completely addictive, isn't it? I love it.

[elsa dorfman]

oh lydia. i love those bottles. i love yr sites. you are amazing. i found something i am sending to you. watch for design sauce. right up yr alley.

[Lydia]

Elsa, welcome to The Perfect Pantry. I wish I had your ability to make beautiful photographs!