Daddys Chili Con Carne Food

CHILLI CON CARNE RECIPE

Steps:

• Prepare your vegetables. Chop 1 large onion into small dice, about 5mm square. The easiest way to do this is to cut the onion in half from root to tip, peel it and slice each half into thick matchsticks lengthways, not quite cutting all the way to the root end so they are still held together. Slice across the matchsticks into neat dice.
• Cut 1 red pepper in half lengthways, remove stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop. Peel and finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
• Start cooking. Put your pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot (a little longer for an electric hob).
• Add the onion and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft, squidgy and slightly translucent.
• Tip in the garlic, red pepper, 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder or 1 level tbsp mild chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin.
• Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Brown 500g lean minced beef. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince.
• Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
• Make the sauce. Crumble 1 beef stock cube into 300ml hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture.
• Add a 400g can of chopped tomatoes. Tip in ½ tsp dried marjoram, 1 tsp sugar and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
• Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes.
• Check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan or isn't drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
• Drain and rinse a 410g can of red kidney beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry.
• Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think.
• Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving. This is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle.
• Serve with soured cream and plain boiled long grain rice.

CHILI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and let cool, then crumble and set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings from the saucepan (reserve the drippings). Increase the heat to medium high, add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon; wipe out the pan.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon drippings in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt and cook 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste is brick red, about 6 minutes (add a splash of water if the mixture begins to stick). Add the beer and simmer until almost completely reduced, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the beef and any juices from the plate; add the cocoa powder, tomatoes, beef broth and beans and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chili thickens slightly, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.
• Stir the hot sauce into the chili and season with salt. Add some beef broth if the chili is too thick. Ladle into bowls and top with the crumbled bacon, cheese, scallions and/or sour cream.

SMOKY CHILLI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a casserole or shallow saucepan over a medium heat, then fry the beef for about 10 mins until any fat has been released and the beef has started to brown. Add the onion and fry for another 8-10 mins until the onions have softened and started to brown slightly. Add the garlic and stir for another minute.
• Stir in the cumin seeds, ground coriander, oregano and a good grinding of black pepper, and continue to fry the mixture for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the vinegar, then the chipotle and tomato pastes, and stir everything together. Tip in the tomatoes and a can of water, then add the yeast extract and crumble in the stock cube. Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
• When the chilli has thickened, tip in the beans and half the liquid from the can. Simmer for 20 mins more, taste for seasoning, then serve with rice, and top with the soured cream, jalapeños, coriander leaves and onion.

NEXT LEVEL CHILLI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Over a high heat, toast the whole chillies on all sides until you can smell them cooking, then remove and set aside. Keep the pan on the heat and toast the peppercorns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds until they just start to change colour, then grind to a powder using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Mix with the smoked paprika and oregano (this is a standard tex-mex seasoning), then set aside.
• Return the casserole to the heat, add half the oil and heat until shimmering. Fry the beef in batches, adding more oil if you need to, until it's browned on all sides, then set aside. Fry the onions in the pan over a low heat for about 8 mins until soft and golden, then add the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Working fast, add the meat and juices, the spice mix, tomato purée, peanut butter and coffee to the pan and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring to coat the meat until everything is thick and gloopy, then pour in the vinegar and stock.
• Add the toasted chillies back into the casserole, along with the bay leaves, cinnamon and some salt. Bring to a simmer and stir well, then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 3hrs, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender but not falling apart. Take the casserole out of the oven, put back on the stove and remove the lid. Simmer the sauce for 5 mins, then stir in the semolina flour and simmer for 2-3 mins more. Finely grate over the chocolate, stir through with the beans and simmer for a minute more to heat through. Fish out the chillies, then leave everything to rest for at least 15 mins.
• Bring the pan to the table. Serve with bowls of accompaniments and the chilli paste (see tip below) to add heat.

CHICKEN CHILLI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a casserole dish over a medium heat, and fry the onion and peppers for 10-12 mins, or until softened. Add the garlic, coriander stalks, ground coriander, cumin and chipotle paste, and fry for 2 mins more. Tip in the tomatoes, tomato pureé and stock, then add the cinnamon stick. Nestle the chicken thighs into the mixture, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 mins or until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken from the casserole and transfer to a chopping board, then shred the meat off the bone using two forks.
• Return the shredded chicken to the pan, then tip in the black beans along with the liquid from the can, the drained kidney beans, vinegar and chocolate. Stir well to combine all of the ingredients and melt the chocolate, then turn the heat up to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 mins, or until the mixture has thickened slightly.
• Remove the cinnamon stick, season to taste and stir though most, or all of the coriander leaves (you can reserve a few leaves to scatter over at the end, if you like). Serve the chilli with rice or tortilla chips, topped with guacamole and soured cream, if using, and scatter over any remaining coriander.

DAD'S HOMEMADE CHILI

Steps:

• Chop onion and jalapeno.
• Saute onion and jalapeno in butter.
• While onion sautes brown the beef and sausage, drain.
• To a large stock/soup pot over low heat add beans, green chilis, and tomatoes.
• Add onion and jalapeno when tender to pot and add meat when brown.
• Add chili powder, garlic, and cumin.
• Cook for approximately 45 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently.

EASY CHILLI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 3. Heat the oil, preferably in a large flameproof casserole, and fry the onions for 8 mins. Add the garlic, spices and oregano and cook for 1 min, then gradually add the mince, stirring well until browned. Stir in the tomatoes, add half a can of water, then crumble in the stock and season.
• Cover and cook in the oven for 30 mins. Stir in the peppers and sundried tomatoes, then cook for 30 mins more until the peppers are tender. Stir in the beans.
• To serve, reheat on the hob until bubbling. Serve with avocado or a big salad with avocado in it, some basmati rice or tortilla chips and a bowl of soured cream.
• If you want to use a slow cooker, fry your onions in a pan for 8 mins, then add your garlic, spices and oregano and cook for a minute. Gradually add the mince until it's brown. Tip into your slow cooker with the tomatoes, peppers, sundried tomatoes and beans, crumble in the stock cubes and season to taste. Cook on Low for 8-10 hours, then serve as above.

JOHN'S CHILLI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Heat a large cast-iron pot or saucepan over a high flame, pour in the oil, then drop in the onions, chillies, paprika and thyme. Cook for 5 mins until the onions soften. Add the celery, give it a stir and crumble in the stock cube. Stir again and cook for another 5 mins
• Add the beef, stir well, then colour for a few mins to coat the meat with the spices. Add the flour and coat everything with a more few stirs, then add the remaining ingredients, along with 1 tsp salt.
• Let it come to the boil, then put a lid on, place in the oven, reduce the temperature to 140C/120C fan/ gas 1 and cook for 4 1 /2 hrs.
• Take the pot out of the oven and remove the carrots, chop them into small chunks, then put them back in. I like plenty of sauce, but you may want to remove some if you don't want it too saucy - be sure to keep it, it's great on toast when cold. Remember to remove the chillies before you serve. Finally, scatter with coriander, if you like