I’ve yet to try anything chipotle I didn’t love. I’ve bought chipotle powder by the pound and recently tried buying whole chipotles (now by the pound as well). My favorite source is myspicesage on the internet (good to know if you live in the boondocks).
My process has two major steps – 1) cook the beans and whole chiles; roast the onions and fresh jalapenos then 2) assembly.
Day One (or in the morning)
Weigh out 1 lb pinto beans; wash and put in slow cooker. Add 8 whole chipotle peppers, 2–3 peeled garlic cloves and 3 or 4 other dried chiles of whatever variety you have lying around. Cover with water about 2x as deep as the solids, cook on high setting until the beans are tender – usually takes about 6 hours for me. I start testing them about hour 5 and make sure there is enough water to cover everything.
Set oven to 375 F. Halve and peel 2 large onions, leaving on the roots. I cut them into about 4 sections, still joined at the roots. Wash 4–6 fresh jalapenos. Put in a baking dish, roast for an hour. Your kitchen is going to acquire a beautiful odor.
Day Two (or when the beans are ready)
I use my wok, but any large pot with good heat distribution will do. Have at hand:
- Ground cumin
- 2 cups or so of riced roasted tomatoes
- 3 pounds of ground turkey (probably any ground meat will work)
- The roasted aromatics
- The cooked pintos and chiles
- Salt. Non-iodized if you’re planning on canning.
Chop the roasted onions (time to get rid of the roots) and jalapenos (remove the stems. Don’t remove the seeds – too much flavor there). I like them rough chopped for a rustic look.
Put the onions and jalapenos in your pot over medium heat. Break up the ground meat over the veg, cover and cook 15 mins or so. Open, stir, recover and cook until the turkey is cooked through.
While this is happening, rice the roasted tomatoes. Pick the chiles and garlic out of the beans. Mush the garlic. Remove the stems from the chiles and tear them apart. Again, I like it rustic.
Once the meat is cooked, pour the tomato / chile / garlic mix over the meat. Add a big palmful of ground cumin. Pour in the cooked pintos. Heat through, stir, let simmer for 15 mins or so. Salt to taste.
Dig in. I’ve made this over and over and it always comes out around 26 calories per ounce.
Paleo? Leave out the beans. You’ll need to braise and soften the chipotles somehow.