Chili is a dish well-known in all of the United States, but where it actually originated from is a mystery.
Many people think that chili originated from Mexico. Charles Ramsdell, author of San Antonio: An Historical and Pictorial Guide, and historian of Texas and Spanish-Indian Culture.
According to Ramsdell, “Chili, as we know it in the U.S., cannot be found in Mexico today…If chili had come from Mexico, it would still be there….Mexicans do not change their culinary customs from one generation or even from one century, to another.”
Most historians think that chili was originally made by the poorest of the poor. In Spain, the people would purchase small amounts of meat, and then add twice as much vegetables, all kinds. The most popular vegetables were onions, tomatoes and chile peppers. Over time, people have shaped chili into what it is now.
Each and every cook has their own spin on what goes into a chili. The recipe I chose, White Bean Turkey Meatball Chili, has all of the classic vegetables, and more. With just the right amount of kick, the aroma almost reminds one of a spicy taco.
For this recipe, poultry was used, specifically one pound of lean ground turkey.

The turkey was mixed with a ¼ cup dry whole wheat bread crumbs, ¼ cup chopped onion, one teaspoon of salt, and an egg. Mixing is most successfully accomplished if one thoroughly washes their hands and then uses them to mix all of the ingredients together.
Cooking teacher, Mary Thombesi, suggested baking the meatballs.
“They hold their shape better and aren’t cooking in their own fat,” said Thombesi.
They were then shaped into small balls and baked on aluminum foil, sprayed with cooking spray, sitting on a jelly roll pan.
A jelly roll pan is a wide, flat pan which is similar to a cookie sheet, but it has sides and is an average of 1-inch deep.
The meatballs were baked on 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, until they were completely cooked inside.
The meatballs were added to the chili mixture. The chili mixture had a base of a 28 oz can of whole, peeled, undrained tomatoes. The recipe called for the tomatoes to be cut up, but due to the thick puree that the tomatoes were in, it was’s easiest to take a pair of kitchen shears, wash them thoroughly and then cut the tomatoes up inside the can. One dumped the can into a large saucepan, and the rest of the ingredients were added  in as they were ready.
To mix things up, the recipe had the cook use a medium zucchini. The zucchini served the purpose of adding texture and color to the chili.

It was washed and sliced into larger julienne piece. Juliene is type of cut in which the food item is cut into thin, long strips. The zucchini was then added to the saucepan.
Two cloves of garlic were minced and tossed in the pan, along with one (15.5 oz) can of great northern beans, with the liquid drained from the can. The last main ingredient added was one (14 ½ oz) can of ready-to-serve chicken broth.

   The seasoning was put in next. It consisted of one teaspoon of sugar, one tsp cumin, three teaspoons chili powder, ¼ tsp pepper and ⅛ tsp salt. All of the chili ingredients were mixed, brought to a boil, the heat was reduced, and the meatballs were then added and simmered for 25 minutes.
Upon tasting, one will relish the savory taste of the lightly seasoned meatballs. Even though there are fewer ingredients than most chilis, this one had enough texture to make your senses happy. The tomato base added enough background of the traditional chili taste to keep it close to traditional, but while still allowing to have its own flavor, and style.