Chilli con carne

• 10 minutes to prepare • 50 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

Sepa la bola

Chilli con carne is a typical Mexican dish that is prepared with tomatoes, blacks beans, minced beef and spices including chilli, cumin and coriander.
Usually, this tasty dish is served with Mexican tortillas that can be purchased at the supermarket or prepared at home.
It can be enjoyed as a main dish or as a hearty meat-based second course.

The most reliable tales trace the origin of this recipe back to 1840 in the State of Mexico, where it replaced the typical Pennicam dish, a dried meat mixed with spices and fat.
Both pennicam and chilli con carne are recipes originated from Indian tribes who used them to make the food to last longer. These dishes were taught to Mexican farmers thanks to the continuous exchange of traditions between the two cultures.

Chilli con carne has become a recipe known throughout the world and appreciated by the most delicate palates, too, because the amount of hot peppers might be trimmed according to taste.

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

500 g lean minced beef
200 g can red kidney beans
200 g can chopped tomatoes
1 big red pepper
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 level tablespoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
EVO oil

1. Prepare your vegetables: chop the onion into small dice. Cut the red pepper in half lengthways, remove the stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop it. Peel and finely chop the garlic clove
2. Put a pan over a medium heat, pour 4 tablespoons of EVO oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot. Add the onion and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Then, tip in the garlic, the red pepper, the chilli powder and the cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes
3. At this point, turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. Keep stirring for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew
4. Open the can of chopped tomatoes and pour them into the pan with the mince mixture. Add a good shake of salt and pepper and stir well. Bring the whole thing to the boil and put a lid on the pan. Then, turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 30 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough
5. Drain and rinse red kidney beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry
6. Finally, replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!!

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.

When a fire starts to burn, right,
and it starts to spread
She gonna bring that attitude home
Don't wanna do nothing with their life

(Disclosure, When a fire starts to burn)