Chilli Con Carne

I can't believe I've never had chilli con carne before. It means 'chilli with meat' apparently. I always wanted to cook it but never got around to it until now. Perfect comfort food for those lazy Sundays! It was well received by the family so I'd say it was a success.

Usually I tend to not plan too much ahead, which lead to last minute ingredient shopping. Thankfully there was a last tray of mince left at woolies. Red capsicum was out of stock so I opted for a green sweet chilli (never really liked the taste capsicum anyway).

Firstly dice up onions and chop chilli (or capsicum) and garlic. That's pretty much all the prep involved.

Heat oil for a minute until hot, then add onions. Continue to cook around 5 minutes until the onion is slightly soft.

Add chopped capsicum/pepper, garlic, grounded cumin, chilli powder and paprika, and cook for another further 5 minutes.

Add in beef mince and break into mince-sized pieces. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes until the meat is browned. Optional: I also added a bunch of picked peppers for more of a kick.

Dissolve 1 cube of beef stock in 300ml of boiling water, then add to the pot. Add in chopped tomatos, tomato paste and sugar. You can substitute the sugar with one or two pieces of dark bittersweet chocolate to add a little more depth. Simmer for 20 minutes. If the mixture is dries too quickly, add some more water.

Drain kidney beans and add to the pot, then simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Rest for 10 minutes to let the flavours absorb before serving. Serve with long grain rice, and enjoy!

Chilli Con Carne
(Adapted from BBC Good Food)
(Print Friendly Version Here)

Ingredients (Serves 6)

• 1 tbsp oil
• 600g beef mince
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 capsicum or green chilli, chopped
• 400g can kidney beans, drained
• 400g canned chopped tomato
• 3 tbsp tomato paste or pasta sauce
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 beef stock cube dissolved in 300ml water
• 1tsp sugar or 2 pieced dark bittersweet chocolate
• 5 pickled peppers, chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil in pan and brown onions for 5 minutes until soft
2. Add garlic, chilli powder, cumin and paprika and cook for 5 minutes
3. Add beef mince and break into mince-sized pieces, and cook on high heat until brown.
4. Add beef stock, canned tomato, tomato paste, sugar/chocolate and (optional) pickled peppers, and simmer for 20 minutes, adding water if too dry.
5. Add drained kidney beans and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for further 10 minutes.
6. Rest for 10 minutes, then serve with long grained rice.