chili con carne

lindustum

Dear MFPers,
I would like to share with you one of my favourite recipes, which I submitted to the database as well. If you are from Mexico, my apologies for the butchering of the "real" chili dish

I tend to make it in a large pan which has a capacity of 3 litres, a diameter of 23cm/10" and depth of 13cm/5" (just to give you an idea). I have added the recipe without the spices because they are so individual to everyone. The spices I use are:

chili flakes(hotter) OR chopped chili(milder), chili powder(milder) OR cayenne chili pepper(hotter), cumin(!). Sometimes I feel like adding cloves (they go fantastic with the red wine) and I have even added cinnamon which gives a very nice sweet note. Of the chili and cumin you will need A LOT. A good 2-3 tablespoons of cumin. The way I do it is after all ingredients are added, I use spices, taste, add more, taste and so forth. You can also add chicken stock, which means you have to reduce the amount of salt you use (be careful). I personally prefer the method without stock/bouillon, but both work.

The cooking process is straight-forward.
1 Chop all vegetables
2 Onions in oil first
3 add the beef
4 season with salt and pepper (this is important. skip this step and the meat will be very bland)
5 when the beef is brown, add the wine
6 add all tomatoes, puree and beans, veg and stir.
7 add spices (see above)
8 reduce to a lower heat (5 out of 9, 2 out of 3) and put the lid on.

The longer you let it simmer, the more intense the flavours get. I usually leave it on for another 10 minutes, and then let it cool down. It tastes best on the day after. I freeze the portions and enjoy them even after months in the freezer, so it's fantastic for busy days.

The recipe also works with meat substitutes, but I have never tested the taste since I am not vegetarian.

And here a picture of the (British) ingredients. The beef is usually lean, below 12% fat or lower if I can get hold of it.
Canned tomatoes can also be substituted with real tomatoes, or plum tomatoes. My kidney to cannelloni-bean ratio is 2:1, but you can vary that if you prefer differently. You can obviously add all kinds of vegetables to add more volume and reduce the calories!

NOTE: 1 portion is one large cereal bowl (300-400g)- it is NOT the equivalent of an entire dinner especially when you're male, you're probably eating 2 bowls. Usually I have bread as a side dish, or sprinkle cheese on top (depending on the calorie count).

lindustum

Sorry for the double-post but I can't edit the first post -.- I just cooked the chili using slightly different ingredients, and calculating the calories per 100g. One serving is about 600g, which equals 480kcal. Enjoy! (and please ignore the picture in the first post IT IS WRONG)