Ultimate Chilli Con Carne

This is my ultimate chilli recipe, suitable for both kids and adults thanks to a little secret addition at the end for those who like it hot. The base recipe is from BBC Good Food  but I have adapted it quite a bit from the original, not least doubling the quantities so I can put half in the freezer to pull out on the days I just don't have enough time to cook (there will be many of 'those' days when I go back to the 'day job' next week...boo!).

The quantity this recipe makes is enough to serve 8-10 adults easily with rice, tortilla chips, sour cream and grated cheese. Nothing quite like a lovely hot chilli on a windy and cold winter evening don't you think...and it always tastes better if made a day in advance.

Leftovers can be made into a Chilli Cheese Pasta bake, which I will be duly doing in line with this weeks meal plan - miraculously I have stuck to it by the letter, an achievement in itself! Enjoy.

 

Ultimate Chilli Con Carne

Ingredients: Makes enough to serve between 8-10 adults

1 TBSP Oil

1 Onion, chopped

1 Red Onion, chopped

75g Chorizo, chopped

2 Red Peppers

5 Cloves of Garlic, crushed

1 TBSP Chilli Powder

2 TSP Smoked Paprika

3 TSP Ground Cumin

2 Cardamom Pods, bruised

1KG Minced Steak

1 Oxo Beef Stock Cubes

2 x 400g Tins of Chopped Tomatoes

60ml Sweet Chilli Sauce

1 TSP Dried Marjoram

4 TBSP Tomato Puree

2 x 400g Tins of Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

Thumb sized piece of dark chocolate

For those who like it really hot add some Cayenne Pepper Sauce (I use Franks Red Hot).

Method:

Step 1: Heat the oil in a large lidded casserole and gently fry the onions, chorizo, red peppers and garlic until the onion is soft.

Step 2: Stir in the chilli powder, smoked paprika, cumin and cardamom pods and cook for a few minutes.

Step 3: Increase the heat and brown the mince then add the tomatoes, sweet chilli sauce and marjoram. Crumble the stock cube into 300ml of boiling water and add this to the pan, season well. Bring to a simmer then turn down the heat, put the lid on and cook for 45 minutes.

Step 4: Add the kidney beans and chocolate and simmer gently, uncovered for a further 30 minutes.

Step 5: Serve, preferably the next day with rice, tortilla chips, grated cheese and sour cream and the cayenne pepper sauce for those who like it really hot (in this case my husband).