One-Pot Wonder : Chili con carne

What will you do with minced beef? I have made beef ball and beef lasagna before. Yesterday was Good Friday, I was in a mood to make a special dish with exotic flavors. Chili con carne sounds gorgeous to me.  While the origin of this dish remains controversial,  many food historians agree that chili con carne is an American dish with Mexican roots. Chili con carne means "chilli with meat". Though there is no one recipe for this dish, the basic ingredients are more or less the same: spicy chili with ground beef, red kidney beans, tomatoes, onions and garlic. 

I checked my pantry against the two recipes I came across from BBC food , glad that I have almost all the ingredients required: red wine, tomato puree, spices, Worcestershire sauce etc.  Only short of beef stock and a can of red kidney bean.  It's a breeze to make a trip down to the nearby supermarket in the early morning on a public holiday.  Lesser people and shorter queue !   

As my family can not take anything too spicy,  I chose a mild version of the dish. Used two fresh red chilli  but removed their seeds and veins to lessen their heat. If you like it hot, maybe add extra chilli powder. I also added some carrots. Cooked in my cast-iron dutch oven, it's a one-pot wonder, absolutely sumptuous. Served on rice, everyone in the family including my kids enjoyed this, will definitely be making again and again. 

CHILI CON CARNE

Ingredients

• 500g lean minced beef
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 onion, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 250ml red wine
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato puree
• 2 red chillies, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 carton of beef stock (250ml)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can of 400g red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Increase the heat and add the mince, cooking quickly until browned and breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon.
2. Pour in the red wine and boil for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes, carrot, tomato purée, fresh chilli or chilli flakes, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened.
4. Add the kidney beans and fresh coriander. Cook for a further ten minutes, uncovered, before removing from the heat, adding any extra seasoning if necessary. Serve with rice.

Recipe adapted from here and here.