Chili con carne (Chili with meat) is a spicy beef stew that is a red hot favorite with Texans. Now variations of this dish are enjoyed all over the world. The name is derived from the Spanish “chile con carne” which means peppers with meat. The classic version consists of chopped or ground beef along with chili peppers, garlic, onion and cumin. Other variations often include beans and tomatoes. The most popular types of chili (as it is usually called) are Texas- style chili (extremely spicy!), chili sin carne (vegetarian chili), white chili and chili verde (Mexican version). The beauty of chili is that it can be eaten by itself or as a core ingredient in a number of other foods like pasta, burger or hot dog. You can enjoy your home-made chili dish with a variety of toppings like shredded chesse, broken saltine crackers, commercial corn chips, Jalapeño cornbread, rolled-up corn tortillas or pork tamales. Whichever tickles your taste buds!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Ground/minced beef 500g
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes 400g
- 2 sticks of celery
- Squeeze of tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon of chilli powder or chopped fresh chilli
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- Dash of Worcester sauce
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- Sprinkle of salt and pepper
- 1-2 Chopped red peppers
- 1 tin of drained kidney beans 400g
- 1 small piece of dark chocolate or sprinkle of cacao power
- 1 small bunch of fresh coriander
Method:
- Fry the onion in a hot pan (large) with oil until nearly brown then add chopped garlic.
- Add all dried spices and seasoning and stir for a few minutes covering everything.
- Add all the vegetables and stir for a few minutes then add the mince and stir until brown – drain any excess fat if desired.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and reduce heat.
- Stir well and add tomato puree to thicken if needed and Worcester sauce, then leave to simmer for about an hour with the lid ajar.
- Add the tin of drained kidney beans and cook for a further 10 mins.
This easy fix dish is not only lip smackin’ good but renowned for its nutritional value. As a final flourish, you can garnish the chili with a few coriander leaves and dig in!