Spicy Borracho Chili

What an epic Thanksgiving holiday I had. Let me sum it up real quick-

Thanksgiving ?lunch? with Tj?s family- great traditional spread.

Thanksgiving ?dinner? with my family. Only had room for creamy vegetarian minestone, pumpkin roll, and oysters. What, you don?t have oysters on thanksgiving? Hmm. Weird

No more room for turkey!

Until Sunday, that is!

Remember those amazing dried mushrooms sent to me?  Well, Marx Foods invited me to try my luck with some dried chiles for a competition!

Basically, they sent me a variety of dried chiles, and it was up to me to incorporate a chile into an original recipe that is best eaten with a spoon.  Voters  then will be asked to choose the most irresistible dish.

Clearly, I knew I had to do SOMETHING with the massive amounts of turkey we were sent home with from our dueling Thanksgivings. It was a perfect fall day- crisp air, sunshine, leaves falling, football on the tv, beer in hand. How can you beat a big bowl of chili? I know! Spike it with a can of beer and spice it with smoky chile peppers. Then make it your own by throwing in an unusual thickener. You?ll see what I mean.

Borracho is one of the first words I learned in Mexico- it means drunk/inebriated/soaked in booze. Appropriate, no? The chiles I chose to play with were the guajillo & smoked serrano; the guajillo for that classic chile flavor, and the smoked serrano for its subtle savory, fruity, smoky heat. Sticking with classic flavor profiles from Mexico, I threw in some peanuts to thicken the whole thing up. Yes, PEANUTS! Don?t knock it till you try it. The two of us killed this pot of chili in 2 days. Now that?s skill.

16 ounces chicken/turkey stock

1 can chili ready diced tomatoes (tomatoes & onions)

1/4 LARGE red onion

2 cloves garlic

4 dried chile peppers (remove seeds for less heat, friends!)

1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts

2 tbsp canola oil

2 cups shredded turkey (or chicken!)

1 can kidney beans

1. In a blender or LARGE food processor, blend together stock, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles and peanuts.

2. Preheat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add blended stock mix & bring to a boil. Pour in a can of beer. After ~10 minutes,  stir in turkey and beans.  Reduce heat to medium-low. Once turkey is heated through, it is ready to serve!

Could that be any easier? Of course, as is true with any good soup/chili, this tastes EVEN better the longer it sits. Next Thanksgiving, I might just skip the turkey dinner and go straight for the soup.

Like I said earlier?.is there anything better??