Chili con Carne with extras!
Introduction
Serves: 6 or more
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 Tbsp muscovado or brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 piece cinnamon stick
750g (about 1½ lbs) coarsely ground minced beef (ground topside)
2 x 400g (2 x 14 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato concentrate (UK tomato purée)
1 Tbsp malt vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1¼ tsp salt
250g (about 8 oz) fresh chorizo or spicy sausages
2 x 400g (2 x 14 oz) cans red kidney beans, drained, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
To serve, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and parsley or coriander (cilantro) leaves, avocado slices or guacamole, lime wedges, sliced fresh chilli (all optional)
Method
1 Preheat oven to 170°C (325°C). Cook onions slowly in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large casserole for about 15-20 minutes, until browned; stir often. Stir in muscovado sugar and cook for 4-5 minutes until onions are golden. Stir in garlic, chilli powder, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, smoked paprika and cinnamon stick. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then turn off the heat.
2 Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over high heat and let the oil get really hot. Add minced meat in clumps, and fry without stirring until nicely browned on one side. Turn over the meat, brown lightly, tilt pan to drain, then transfer meat to casserole. Stir in tomatoes, tomato concentrate, vinegar and water, then add oregano, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a gentle boil then cover with a lid. Transfer to oven and cook for 1 hour.
3 Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium-sized frying pan (skillet) and fry the sausages over a gentle heat until browned; they don’t need to be cooked all the way through as they will finish cooking in the oven. Transfer to a board and cut into chunks.
4 Add sausages, kidney beans and most of the parsley to the casserole and cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt if necessary.
Serve chili con carne piping hot, scattered with extra parsley and with any of the optional extras you fancy.
