Chilli Con Carne

I have been making this recipe for years, so when we moved to Mexico I was interested to see how my recipe compared to the real thing. For a start they call it Carne con Chile here which actually makes much more sense - Meat with Chilli, not Chilli with Meat (unless your version is knock-your-socks-off hot!). They also tend to use shredded beef instead of meat and more chilli than I do for a family meal. We’ve had carne con chili quite a few times here, mostly in burros (wrapped in a flour tortilla) and it is really tasty. Different to my version, but both of them are yummy in their own way.

So I still make this recipe very regularly at home, but I can’t claim that its authentic. I usually serve it with rice and sour cream, but it freezes well and is very handy for leftovers. It’s great with tortillas, jacket potatoes, on nachos, in a taco, on toast, you name it!

1 tbsp oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 red capsicum, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder (or add to taste)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
500g lean minced beef¡
300mls beef stock
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar (or 1 square of chocolate)
2 tbsp tomato paste
410g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oil in a large frying pan or saucepan and add onions, cooking for about 5 minutes. Tip in garlic, capsicum, chilli, paprika and cumin and stir, bringing the aroma of the spices out. Add the mince to the pan and cook until browned then add stock, tomatoes, salt and pepper, tomato paste and sugar, or chocolate if using. (Chocolate is a traditional Mexican ingredient to give a smooth flavour and counteract the acidity of the tomatoes.) Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat to simmer gently with the lid on for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the kidney beans and bring to the boil again. Gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding more water if it looks too dry and more seasoning if necessary. Take off the heat and leave to stand covered for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! ¡Buon Provecho!