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Chilli con or sin carne


Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 large onion finely chopped or 2 smaller ones
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 heaped teaspoon hot chilli powder
  • 1 red chilli pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 medium carrots sliced
  • 500 g lean minced beef
  • 350 mls beef stock made from a cube
  • 400 g can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried marjoram
  • 1 tsp sugar or add a thumb-sized piece of dark chocolate along with the beans instead
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 400 g can red kidney beans
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Plain boiled rice
  • Soured cream and spring onion to serve

Instructions

  1. Get a middling to large saucepan on the hob and gently fry the chopped onion and garlic to soften them. Add the cumin, paprika, chilli powder and finely chopped chilli pepper and fry for a minute or two. At this point I like to add the carrot and get it coated in the oil and spices. Now up the heat and tip in the minced beef. How lean you buy your beef is up to you. Packaging these days is quite clear about the fat content, 5% being lean, 20% being at the cheaper and more unhealthy end of the scale. If you buy the cheaper stuff but want to get rid of the extra fat you can simply fry the beef in another pan and pour off the excess fat before adding it to the chilli (or any mince dish you might be making).

    So anyway, stir and fry the beef until it is browned and any large lumps are broken up. Add the hot beef stock, the can of tomatoes, the tomato puree, marjoram, salt, pepper and sugar if you’re using it and give it all a good stir. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cover with a lid, leave it to simmer for 20 minutes or so checking occasionally to make sure the sauce isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan or drying out too quickly. If it seems to be drying too quickly add a little water to loosen it up and lower the heat if you can. Stir in the drained and rinsed red kidney beans and if you didn’t use sugar you can add a couple of squares of dark chocolate here, chilli really benefits from having a sweet note in there so do use either sugar or chocolate. Bring up to a vigorous simmer and let it bubble for 5 or 10 minutes. It is recommended that you let chilli rest, off the heat, with the lid on, for about ten minutes as this lets the flavours mingle. Sometimes I do this, sometimes I don’t. I can’t claim I am sophisticated enough to taste the difference but it is helpful if you are hustling friends or family to get to the table while you get your rice ready.

    You don’t need to serve a lot of rice with chilli as the meaty beany sauce is very filling in itself.

    A good dollop of soured cream on the side, topped with some finely chopped spring onions is a lovely, cool foil to the heat of the chilli.