My Take on the Chili Con Carne (Recipe)

Chili con carne is one of my ultimate comfort food. I remembered when I didn’t know how to cook it that I look forward eating in a Mexican restaurant just so I can order it together with some nachos or in a burrito. I especially love it really spicy topped with a huge dollop of sour cream and lots of cheese! Hmm, just thinking about it right now as I write this entry makes my mouth water and drool for it!

Lucky for me, I cooked it recently. The good thing about chili con carne is that it is so easy to make a huge batch and freeze for later. I can tell you that after learning of the “basic” recipe, I don’t crave for too much Mexican restaurant if we’re dining out – except if I am craving for some pork carnitas that I haven’t tried making at home because I am lazy to cook slow-cooked dishes
With this recipe, I followed the basic chili con carne recipe I have been using since “I-don’t-know-when” but since I didn’t have red kidney beans stacked at home, I ended up using cannelloni beans instead. The taste is still the same (to me!) but the Mexicans would probably get disappointed with me (sorry!).

Recipe:

1 cup cannellini beans, dried (or 1 big can of red kidney beans)
1 kg beef mince
1 big tomato, chopped
½ cup tomato passata
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
4 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1-2 tbsp chili powder
2-4 bird’s eye chili, chopped
Salt (to taste)

Steps:

1. If using dried beans, cook it in advance. To start, soak the beans at least for four hours (best if overnight). After soaking, drain the liquid and place the beans in a saucepan. Add water enough to cover the beans and cook for about an hour or until the beans are tender. Set aside.
2. Get another pan and place on medium-high heat. Pour the oil in and sauté the garlic until golden brown. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Toss the chopped tomatoes in and mix.
3. Add the dried spices: cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper and chili powder. Mix just until you can smell the fragrance. I’d say, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the beef mince and cook until everything’s been browned. Add the salt and adjust the taste according to preference. (Note: You can use beef stock to add to the taste if you prefer. It’s just I don’t want too many preservatives with my homecooked dishes.)
5. When the meat is cooked through and juices starts to ooze out of it, add the bird’s eye chili and tomato passata. When it starts to boil, add the beans and simmer.
6. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the beans are thoroughly cooked through. Add water gradually if necessary (I prefer mine a bit on the dry side).
7. Adjust the spice level and seasoning according to preference.