Hot Chilli Con Carne Recipe

David Conway    Personal, Recipes     Recipes, spicy food

Chilli Con Carne is one of those hugely popular dishes that have a real feel good factor. It’s the kind of thing you would happily munch on the following day as a snack while watching TV or when messing about playing games at Partypoker. At the same time, it’s great for a dinner party or a family meal. It’s a versatile dish that you want to eat time and time again in almost any situation. But how to make it?

SERVES 5-6 PEOPLE

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large sweet red pepper
• 1 large white onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
• 2 Scotch Bonnet chillies
• 3 jalapeno peppers (fresh or pickled)
• 250ml water
• 250ml red wine
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 4 beef stock cubes
• 400g tin of Cannellini beans
• 800g of coarsely minced beef
• 3/4 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground paprika (sweet or hot)
• 3/4 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tbsp ground cayenne pepper
• 3/4 tbsp ground coriander
• 3/4 tbsp dried oregano
• 3/4 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 heaped tsp ground ginger

PREPERATION:

1. Combine the paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, oregano, thyme, cinnamon and ginger.
2. Open the tin of beans, rinse, drain and set aside.
3. Put sugar and stock cubes in a bowl, poor in boiling water and stir until dissolved.
4. Roughly chop the red pepper into chunks, discarding the seeds and any white flesh.
5. Chop the jalapeno peppers into thin round slices, keeping the seeds for extra heat.
6. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic cloves.
7. Finely chop the chillies, keeping the seeds for extra heat (advisable to wear disposable gloves).

COOKING:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid and fry the beef quickly until browned, breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon. Once sealed, remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper to the pan used for the meat (use a drop more oil if needed) and cook until softened.
3. Add the meat back to the pan and pour in the red wine. Boil for 3-4 minutes allowing the alcohol to burn off.
4. Stir in the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, made-up beef/sugar stock, balsamic vinegar, Tabasco, chilli, jalapeno, beans, spice mix, salt and black pepper.
5. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for at least an hour, stirring occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened.
6. Chop and add the coriander leaves, cook uncovered on a medium heat for a further fifteen minutes, stirring frequently, before removing from heat.

TIPS:

• This dish is fantastic served with fluffy rice. Simply divide the rice and chilli into two bowls, place on the table and let everyone help themselves.
• If you don’t fancy rice it’s equally good over a jacket potato or with couscous and a green salad.
• The chilli is even tastier a day or two after it’s cooked because the flavours develop and the texture becomes richer. Simply leave to cool, stick in the fridge and gently heat before serving.

Recipe written 02/OCT/2009. ©2009 Aylis Ltd.

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