CHILLI CON CARNE

Chilli con carne – the legendary Tex-Mex dish – was one of the most popular main courses served at Lemon Heaven. The official dish of Texas can be traced back to the Aztecs and has undergone many refinements over the years including the addition of beans – which chilli aficionados still argue about. Our recipe started as a student staple in the 80s and has undergone refinements since. The beauty of this dish is its versatility – providing the basis for stand-alone main course or a filling for jacket potatoes, fajitas, tacos, toasted sandwiches etc. – and also its adaptability according to individual taste. Veggie-Vegan versions are easily achieved, as are variations in the chilli heat rating according to preference – whether it’s for your kids or a rugby team who keep their toilet rolls in the fridge. The method and ingredients given here are approximate, as we usually cook by intuition rather than using measuring devices. You will have to feel your own way.

On Heat

Since the dish is literally called “chilli with meat” in Spanish, it is important to make a decision about what type of chilli peppers you will be using. There will be a right one for you and your family and friends. I’d suggest starting with basic supermarket chilli peppers; these, however, can very greatly in intensity so you may need to spice it up with cayenne pepper. You can then graduate on to more bespoke peppers. You’ll be able to find plenty of information online about the relative intensities (quoted in Scoville units) of different chilli varieties – and where you can get them. For those less tolerant of chilli, young children for instance, leave the chilli peppers out altogether, and add just a pinch of cayenne.

Ingredients

As previously mentioned these are approximate; you may prefer more beans, more peppers, more meat, and of course the chilli heat intensity is variable between beginners and ring-stinger. Up to you.

500g pack of minced beef

1 medium onion

1 red pepper

2 red chilli peppers (or more – your choice)

Mushrooms (chopped – optional)

I tin of kidney beans

I tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

Beef stock cube

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of smoked paprika

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper*

2 squares of dark chocolate

Olive oil

Black pepper

Salt

*You might have “chilli powder” in your cupboard – not necessarily taboo, but be mindful it is cayenne pepper plus other spices.

How to do it

Do the chopping up first – onion into small squares, red pepper into larger squares or strips, chillies into slices.
Cover the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and turn on to medium heat
Add the onions and sprinkle with black pepper – fry them for about a minute and then add the red pepper and chillies. Give them the occasional stir with a spatula (I use a wooden one)
Add the mince and fry it till it goes brown – breaking it up with your spatula as you go.
Add chopped or sliced mushrooms if you want to and cook for another couple of minutes
Crumble in the beef stock cube and stir in
Add the spices and stir in – fry for a couple of minutes – you will get a wonderful aroma off at this point
Stir in your tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, some dark chocolate (the secret ingredient) and kidney beans. Drain the bean tin first – obviously. If you like a particularly beany chilli, add two tins. Or mix it up and use another type of bean or a mixture, eg. borlotti, pinto or cannellini. Now you’ve added the beans, be gentle with the stirring so you don’t break them up.
Use a teaspoon to taste how you’re doing – add salt and extra cayenne pepper if needed
Then reduce the heat, pop a lid on the pan, and let it simmer for up to an hour. If the chilli is looking a bit sloppy, simmer it uncovered. Give a good stir now and then so it doesn’t stick. Your chilli should now be ready to serve.

Variations

There are as many variations as you can shake a stick at – if that’s your idea of a good time – with celebrity chefs adding some interesting twists. Here are a few of our favourites.

Gourmet Chilli. Use diced steak instead of mince. We did a special at Lemon Heaven using sirloin steak and ghost chillies (bhut jolokia) – then rated as the world’s hottest chilli. Robin – one of the Lemon Heaven chefs – came up with the name Chilli con Carnage for this delicious but deadly dish.
Christmas Chilli. Use up leftover turkey instead of mince – the meat will be cooked already so this is a bit quicker to prepare. Jamie Oliver does a marvellous “Turkey Con Chilli” in one of his Christmas programmes. Available online.
Green Chilli – with carrots and potatoes instead of beans – by our hero Keith Floyd in his book “Floyd’s American Pie”. Available online.
Veggie-Vegan Chili. You can just follow as above using your choice of TVP/veggie or Quorn mince. Cooking time can be reduced as you don’t have meat to get tender. See our separate post for the Lemon Heaven Vegan Chilli
Low fat. Easy-peasy. Use that spray oil stuff and the lowest fat mince you can.

Serving Suggestions

Just in case you don’t have an idea of what you want to do with your chilli:

With rice or pasta
Top with grated cheese, sour cream or guacamole (or all three!)
In a bowl with garlic bread or tortilla chips/nachos
As a filling for tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, etc.
In a jacket potato
In a toasted sandwich or panini (with cheese)

CHILLI CON CARNE

On Heat

Ingredients

As previously mentioned these are approximate; you may prefer more beans, more peppers, more meat, and of course the chilli heat intensity is variable between beginners and ring-stinger. Up to you.

500g pack of minced beef

1 medium onion

1 red pepper

2 red chilli peppers (or more – your choice)

Mushrooms (chopped – optional)

I tin of kidney beans

I tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

Beef stock cube

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of smoked paprika

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper*

2 squares of dark chocolate

Olive oil

Black pepper

Salt

*You might have “chilli powder” in your cupboard – not necessarily taboo, but be mindful it is cayenne pepper plus other spices.

How to do it

Do the chopping up first – onion into small squares, red pepper into larger squares or strips, chillies into slices.

Cover the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and turn on to medium heat

Add the onions and sprinkle with black pepper – fry them for about a minute and then add the red pepper and chillies. Give them the occasional stir with a spatula (I use a wooden one)

Add the mince and fry it till it goes brown – breaking it up with your spatula as you go.

Add chopped or sliced mushrooms if you want to and cook for another couple of minutes

Crumble in the beef stock cube and stir in

Add the spices and stir in – fry for a couple of minutes – you will get a wonderful aroma off at this point

Use a teaspoon to taste how you’re doing – add salt and extra cayenne pepper if needed

Then reduce the heat, pop a lid on the pan, and let it simmer for up to an hour. If the chilli is looking a bit sloppy, simmer it uncovered. Give a good stir now and then so it doesn’t stick. Your chilli should now be ready to serve.

Variations

There are as many variations as you can shake a stick at – if that’s your idea of a good time – with celebrity chefs adding some interesting twists. Here are a few of our favourites.

Christmas Chilli. Use up leftover turkey instead of mince – the meat will be cooked already so this is a bit quicker to prepare. Jamie Oliver does a marvellous “Turkey Con Chilli” in one of his Christmas programmes. Available online.

Green Chilli – with carrots and potatoes instead of beans – by our hero Keith Floyd in his book “Floyd’s American Pie”. Available online.

Veggie-Vegan Chili. You can just follow as above using your choice of TVP/veggie or Quorn mince. Cooking time can be reduced as you don’t have meat to get tender. See our separate post for the Lemon Heaven Vegan Chilli

Low fat. Easy-peasy. Use that spray oil stuff and the lowest fat mince you can.

Serving Suggestions

Just in case you don’t have an idea of what you want to do with your chilli:

With rice or pasta

Top with grated cheese, sour cream or guacamole (or all three!)

In a bowl with garlic bread or tortilla chips/nachos

As a filling for tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, etc.

In a jacket potato

In a toasted sandwich or panini (with cheese)

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