Chilli con carne simply translates to chilli with meat. It's said to have originally been made with dried, salted beef, and no beans or tomatoes!
My version is made with beef mince and includes tomatoes, beans and peppers along with a mixture of spices. Cumin, paprika and cinnamon are often used in Mexican cuisine and I've added these along with oregano to give the chilli a richer, deeper flavour.
In terms of the heat element, I've used chilli powder and ancho chilli paste, but do use fresh chillies if you prefer. The ancho chilli paste gives the dish a lovely smokiness so I'd highly recommend trying it, if you can find some in your local supermarket.
Finally, I've used the obligatory red kidney beans but have also included black beans, as I like the mixture of sizes and flavours. Enjoy!
Serves 4-6
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large white onion
1 large red pepper
I green pepper
2 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons of chilli powder (mild or hot to taste)
1 teaspoon of ancho chilli paste
2 teaspoons of paprika
2 teaspoons of cumin
400g beef mince
400g can of chopped tinned tomatoes
300ml beef stock
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of dried oregano
1 cinnamon stick
Seasoning
400g can of black beans
400g can of red kidney beans
2 squares of dark cooking chocolate
Red chilli paste (optional)
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
- Deseed the peppers and cut into approx 1cm pieces.
- Dice the onion.
- Drain the beans and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan or casserole.
- Once the oil is up temperature, add the onion and pepper and sauté until the onion is translucent.
- Add the crushed garlic and dry spices. Stir for a further 1-2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Add the minced beef and sauté until no pink meat remains.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and beef stock, then stir in the ancho chilli paste, beans, tomato paste, dried oregano, cinammon stick and seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Bring the chilli to the boil then cover and place in the hot oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the chocolate. Stir well and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add adjust to taste (if you want more heat, simply add ½-1 teaspoon of chilli paste).
