Chilli con Carne
Pretty much everyone has their version of chilli con carne. This is our tried and tested recipe. We’ve tried others and never found that they have the depth of flavour that we get with this one which we never eat on the same day as making. We always make it and then let it mature over at least a day or so. Chilli is great served with rice but try serving it with a green salad and crusty bread too, it makes a really nice change. We always serve our chilli with loads of grated parmesan cheese over it, but that certainly isn’t mandatory!
Chilli con Carne
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 539kcal
Equipment
- An oven proof saucepan
- A food processor
Ingredients
- 1 Red Chilli
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 large White Onion
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 jar Sun Dried Tomatoes drained of most of the oil
- 500 g Minced Beef no less than 12% fat
- 800 g Cherry Tomatoes that's two tins to most people! Buy the best you can
- 800 g Red Kidney Beans that's two tins! Drained
- 1 tbsp Oil we always use Rapeseed
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion into about 4 pieces. Peel the garlic, deseed and roughly chop the chilli. Put the garlic and chilli into the food processor and whiz up for a few seconds before adding the onion
- Heat the oil in the saucepan and once everything is minced and mixed add it to the saucepan
- Soften the onion, garlic and chilli mixture for about 8 minutes over a relatively low heat. Meanwhile put the sun dried tomatoes into the food processor and whiz up until they are chopped
- After the onion, garlic and chilli mixture has softened, add the cumin and chilli powder and mix well. Add the mince and brown
- Turn on the oven to preheat to around gas mark 2, 150°C
- Once the meat has browned add the sun dried tomatoes and mix well. Put the tomatoes in the food processor and whiz for a few seconds to break them up and add them to the saucepan. Swill the tomato tin with about ½ a can of water and add it to the saucepan
- Bring the chilli mixture up to a boil and make a cover for the pan out of baking parchment, put that over the pan and then put the lid on and transfer to the oven. The baking parchment helps to keep the moisture in the pan
- Spend the next 90 minutes doing whatever it is that you like to do best before returning to the oven and removing the pan … carefully, it'll be very hot!Tip – leave a tea towel over the saucepan's handle to remind you not to grab it!
- Add the kidney beans which you have drained in readiness. DO NOT ADD SALT … unless you like kidney beans like bullets! Salt makes them go hard and, in any event this dish has enough flavour without salt
- Return to the oven for half an hour and then remove, cool, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to mature. Reheat and serve with grated parmesan, crusty bread or salad. Rice if you must! Delicious!
Nutrition
Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 2417mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1151IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 10mg