Recipe: Everybody's a winner chili (and mini hearty biscuits)

Here's the award-winning entirely original-recipe I entered in the Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty Recipe Contest. The rules required at least 50% of the ingredients to be local (and sources are listed in the recipe).

Un-“beet”-able Chili

Celebrate frigid weather with a bowl of chili featuring local ingredients.

Ingredients

¼ C olive oil

2 medium onions, diced from Full Plate Collective CSA, Ithaca

1 large turnip, diced from Red Tail Farm, Trumansburg

2 carrots, diced from Full Plate Collective CSA , Ithaca

1-2 large beets, diced from Blue Heron Farm, Lodi

3 garlic cloves, minced from Full Plate Collective CSA, Ithaca

4-5 C black beans or turtle beans (soaked and pre-cooked for about 45 minutes)* from Cayuga Pure Organics, Brooktondale

3 large tomatoes, chopped (about three cups, or one 28 oz can of diced tomatoes) from Jackman Winery, Ithaca

1 C water

1 T chili powder

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp cayenne (or to taste)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp oregano

8 oz plain Greek yogurt from Chobani (NYS producer)

1 C cheddar cheese, grated from Meadow Creek Farm, Interlaken, NY

(These ingredients can be found at Greenstar, the Ithaca Farmers Market, and Garden Gate Delivery.)

1) In a large pot, sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent and almost caramelized, about ten minutes.

2) Add garlic, turnips, carrot, and beet. Continue cooking over medium heat for ten minutes.

3) Add beans, tomatoes, water, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and oregano. Simmer, covered, for at least one hour (or until beans are tender, add more water if desired).

4) Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and grated cheese. Enjoy!

*If you’re using canned beans, add them for the last 20 minutes of cooking so that they don’t become mushy.

Serves 6-8

Mini Hearty Biscuits

Ingredients

1 C whole wheat bread flour from Farmer Ground Flour, Newfield

1 C all-purpose flour

1 T baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 C cheddar cheese from Meadow Creek Farm, Interlaken

1 ½ C heavy cream from Hillcrest Dairy, Moravia

½ C whole Jersey milk from Meadow Creek Farm, Interlaken

Special equipment: mini-muffin pan

1) Pre-heat oven to 425F and grease mini-muffin tin

2) In a large bowl, mix whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

3) Stir in grated cheddar cheese.

4) Add heavy cream and whole milk.

5) Stir until just combined.

6) Fill muffin tin (be careful not to overfill).

7) Bake at 425F for about 15 minutes.

8) Use a knife to loosen biscuits before removing from pan.

Makes 24 min-muffins.