Chilli con carne is a very popular dish to cook amongst Britons, adored for its rich and spicy flavours.
The dish is essentially a stew of meat and spices, served with or without beans depending on which recipe you use.
Beef is most commonly the meat used (either minced or in chunks) but pork is also a popular ingredient as well as sausage and chorizo.
Kidney beans are probably the most familiar bean but black beans, turtle beans and pinto beans all work brilliantly too.
Opting to use kidney beans and chickpeas in his version, Jamie Oliver has shared his “good old chilli con carne” recipe.
He said: “This hearty, all-time classic chilli con carne recipe is hard to beat and delicious.”
Ingredients
Two medium onions
Two cloves garlic
Two medium carrots
Two sticks celery
Two red peppers
Olive oil
One heaped teaspoon chilli powder
One heaped teaspoon ground cumin
One heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
400g tin of chickpeas
400g tin of red kidney beans
Two 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
500g quality minced beef
Half a bunch of fresh coriander (15g)
Two tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Method
Start by peeling and finely chopping the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Then, prepare the peppers by halving them, and removing the stalks and seeds before roughly chopping them.
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large casserole pan on medium-high heat, add the chopped vegetables, chilli powder, cumin, cinnamon and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper before cooking it all for seven minutes – or until softened. Make sure to stir regularly.
Next, drain and add the chickpeas and kidney beans and tip in the tomatoes – break them up with the back of a spoon.
After, pour in one tin’s worth of water. Add the minced beef, breaking any larger chunks.
Pick the coriander leaves and put them aside, then finely chop and add the stalks to the pan, with the balsamic vinegar. Season with some sea salt and black pepper.
Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer with a lid slightly ajar for one hour, or until slightly thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally.
Once cooked, serve up with fluffy rice or couscous, some crusty bread, or over a jacket potato. Sprinkle over the reserved coriander, and some fresh chilli, if you like, then tuck in.
For those planning to enjoy the rest of their chilli con carne another time, leftovers can be stored in the freezer. Just allow it to cool, then store it in an airtight container and pop it in the freezer for up to six months.
To reheat just bring to room temp, then either microwave or heat on the hob. Just ensure it’s piping hot throughout.
