Chilli con Carne

Chilli con Carne

Chili con Carne (Hot Peppers with meat) are among the most famous, typical dishes of Tex-Mex (Texan and Mexican) cuisine. There are infinite variations on the basic recipe of this dish, which has its roots in Mexican cuisine and was the dish of the poor Mexican population. For sure it contains meat, hot peppers and spices. The rest -red beans, tomatoes etc.-, probably added in the course of transition in every continent.
It is intensely spicy to very spicy and what you need for this season of the year and for lovers of very spicy flavors. In our house we have one of those lovers and this dish is his favorite. So the more spicy the better. You moderate a little bit the hot doses of ingredients and enjoy it completely plain or on boiled rice, yogurt, mashed or baked potatoes, sprinkled with grated cheddar cheese and tortilla chips or wrapped in tortillas with a little corn and lettuce leaves. Consumed with zest as it is!
Yours!

work: 45′ time: 12h:00′ easy:

Chilli con Carne Chilli con Carne

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 800g minced veal
  • 250g red kidney beans
  • 2 onions, grated
  • 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 50g olive oil
  • 100g red wine
  • 1 sweet red pepper
  • 1 green chili pepper
  • 1-2 tbsp tabasco
  • 400g (1 can) diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp pepper, cumin, chilli powder
  • ½ tsp allspice, clove, cinnamon, coriander
  • 2 tsp salt
  • rice boiled accompanying
On the previous evening soak the beans in warm water to swell and soften. The next day boil them well in salted water until eaten normally. Drain and keep the water in which they boiled.

In saucepan and over a medium heat put the grated onions with 2 tablespoons of water to boil for 2′-3′.
Then pour the oil and garlic. Mix for a while and add the minced meat to roast well, stirring constantly, change color and absorb all the juices. Add the wine and wait until it evaporates.
Put the peppers, tabasco, spices, salt and pepper. Stir and let them stand for a quarter of an hour to cook.
Mix in the chopped tomatoes with their sauce.
Water is not put at all, if necessary add a little of what you kept from cooking the beans. Cover the pot, to simmer and evaporate the juices without drying.
Cook the food until smooth minced meat, around 40′ and when ready add the beans to a boil. If you mash 2-3 tablespoons of beans and so the sauce becomes more thick. Taste and add accordingly something from spices to bring the food to your tastes.
Chilli con Carne
Most recipes -not to say all- suggest red beans (red kidney beans) canned. This is a rather bad prompt. I will insist to bypass this option and buy the dried red beans, which soaked during the night and the next day boiled as do white beans or other legumes.
It is infinitely tastier than canned and their taste significantly characterizes the dish!
Chilli con Carne Chilli con Carne Chilli con Carne

Author Zambia Sifaki