From the menu of … MetroFresh, 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta. 404-724-0151; www.metrofreshatl.com
Q: My wife and I regularly each lunch (and sometimes dinner) at the MetroFresh on Monroe Drive in Midtown. I ONLY eat their Mitchili — a turkey chili that is delicious. I would love to get the recipe. Thanks!
— Stephen Margolis, Decatur
A: Mitchell Anderson was glad to give us the recipe for his delicious Mitchili, otherwise known as Mitchell’s turkey chili. In sharing the recipe, he wrote, “I make Mitchili at MetroFresh every day of the week and one batch serves about 80 people. That said, I am going to give you my best estimate of a recipe for one pot of Mitchili which I think will serve 8-10 people.”
Anderson went on to say that the chili is really versatile. “With a salad and some warm French bread, it will be a perfect Saturday dinner with friends in the cooler months, or, with grilled hot dogs and slaw it makes a perfect summer backyard BBQ. I am also giving you the home version, which uses hot Italian turkey sausage so it will be a little spicier than the MetroFresh version. I suggest doing what I do, look at the recipe and use it as a jumping-off point, be creative. Mitchili is really just a state of mind!” he wrote.
MetroFresh recently doubled the size of its location just off the Beltline. It has added a wine and cappuccino bar, a large communal table on the patio and expanded breakfast hours and offerings six days a week.
MetroFresh’s Mitchili (Mitchell’s Turkey Chili)
Hands on: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Makes: 25 cups
Anderson notes you can add up to 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar to make a sweeter version or hot sauce to taste for a spicier one. He sometimes serves this chili over yellow rice. This recipe works perfectly when you have a crowd to feed, but leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or can be frozen for up to 1 month.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
2 pounds ground turkey
1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, meat removed from casings
1/4 cup chili powder (or to taste up to 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup ground cumin
3 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with liquid
1 (15-ounce) can chili beans
1 (15-ounce) can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper
Grated cheddar or Monterey Jack, sour cream, chopped green onions, chopped black olives for garnish
In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper, yellow pepper and green pepper and saute just until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and sausage and saute until cooked through, about 10 minutes, depending on size of pot. Break meat into small chunks as it’s cooking. Add chili powder and cumin and cook 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. Add chili beans, Great Northern beans, kidney beans and black beans. Reduce heat to low and cook chili for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to keep beans from sticking to bottom of pot. Add mustard, cilantro and dill and season to taste. Garnish as desired.
Per 1-cup serving: 225 calories (percent of calories from fat, 39), 15 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 43 milligrams cholesterol, 438 milligrams sodium.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of restaurant in the subject line.
