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The best Chilli Con Carne

Chilli con carne is one of my favourite dishes, so over the years I’ve tried out lots of different recipes. This is one is an old recipe from Chicago, but the best one I've so far cooked! It’s a bit spicy so you can reduce the heat if you don’t want the heat. Serve it with rice or tortilla.  
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
Calories: 1234

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg diced stewing beef
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 green chilli peppers
  • 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 Tbsp tomato purée
  • 600 ml chopped tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp black treacle
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1 litre beef broth Approx.
  • 200 ml red wine
  • 1 can red beans 400g
  • 1 small bunch of coriander
  • 1 lime
  • Sour cream optional

Method
 

  1. Finely chop onion, garlic and chilli. Cut the peppers into strips. Finely chop the coriander stems.
  2. In a large, heavy-based saucepan brown the meat in half of the oil, then transfer it to a plate
  3. Clean the pan, then add the remaining oil and soften onion. Add the chilli, garlic and coriander stems, stir for 1 minute, then add the dried herbs and put back into the meat. Stir at a low temperature for 1-2 minutes, then add the tomato purée and the wine.
  4. Turn up the temperature to allow the wine to evaporate. When you get a thick, reduced sauce, add the chopped tomatoes, treacle, and enough stock to cover the meat.
  5. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently at a low temperature, under cover, for 90 minutes.
  6. Add the pepper slices, then ten minutes later the the drained beans. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 20 minutes until the sauce is reduced to your desired density.
  7. Serve warm, with chopped coriander leaves scattered over it and a wedge of lime on the side. You can also serve it with some soured cream if you like.