Here is a simple recipe for chili con carne. BBQ sauce or a few drops of liquid smoke give the stew a smokier flavor. The finishing touch is to add cocoa or dark chocolate. Another variation is to cook chili con carne with prime rib.
The name literally means “chili with meat” in Spanish. The dish likely originated as a simple and nutritious stew of chili peppers, meat, and sometimes beans or corn, and became popular among workers, cowboys, and soldiers in 19th-century Texas.
Chili con carne originated in Mexico and Texas.
If you cook your own beans, it’s important to soak them for at least 12 hours. Why? It shortens cooking time, improves digestion, reduces antinutrients (phytic acid and lectins), and improves texture and flavor. It’s a simple, yet important procedure for getting the most out of beans in cooking.
6 portions
1 kg ground beef
2 yellow onions
2 garlic cloves
1 red chili alt. 1 tsp chili powder
1 green pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes. Plus a can of water
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp bbq sauce alt. liquid smoke, about 2-3 drops for a smokier taste
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2-3 cm anchovy paste (can be omitted)
——
2 pkt kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 tbsp cocoa or 40 g dark chocolate
——
250 g mushrooms (can be omitted)
Brown the minced meat until all the liquid disappears.
Place the browned minced meat in a pot.
Chop the onion, chili and paprika. Brown the vegetables until the onion is soft and shiny. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Then stir.
Add the crushed tomatoes, water, the vegetables, spices and BBQ sauce to the pot.
Cook for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1 – 2 hours.
When 30 minutes remain, add the beans and cocoa or chocolate.
Fry the mushrooms separately and add them at the end. If the mushrooms are left in the pot for too long, the mushroom flavor disappears into the broth and the mushrooms become tasteless and rubbery.
Season with salt and pepper.
