Chilli Con Carne

[Janetta]

Does anyone have a nice, easy but tasty recipe for chilli con carne that doesn't use any mixes or stock cubes. 

[natalie_1982]

Fry some mince (not too much oil), add some chopped onions, peppers, garlic, dried oregano and mushrooms and a tin (or two) of tomatoes, sprinkle in as much as desired of chilli powder and simmer.

[ursula62]

1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 to 1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 large green chilli, finely chopped (discard seeds)
250 g minced beef, lamb or pork
1 large can kidney beans in water (drained)
1 large can tinned tomatoes
1tbsp tomato puree
100ml water or red wine
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional)

Fry the onions, green chilli and peppers in a little olive oil until soft. Add garlic and fry a little more, then add the mince and fry until brown - break up lumps as you go.

Add the chilli powder, oregano and cumin , and stir for about a minute. Add the tinned tomatoes, water and  tomato puree and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the drained beans and bring back to a simmer. Thicken with cocoa powder to make a rich sauce.

Yes, I know cocoa sounds an odd ingredient, but the Mexicans have used it for centuries to enrich meat dishes, and it's a great thickener instead of cornflour, honest!

Try adding some chopped chorizo in with the mince for a wonderful smoky flavour.

[Janetta]

Three questions - sorry!  If cocoa is not used, should one use cornflour?  Would a red chilli do instead of a green?  Ground cumin - would that be a fresh ingredient or dried?  Sorry to sound stuped, but only just started cooking from scratch.  Have relied on ready meals before, but I am determined to get healthy! 

[Scarlett]

How come Ursula only gets 2 stars after going to all that trouble!!!? Ursula I give you THREE stars!!! ***

[mattvanduck]

Some great ideas there, here's some other tips.

Use tined tomatoes with chilli's in!

Put a yellow pepper in to give your dish a focul point, otherwise it can look like stodge and you could over face yourself. Which is no good after putting in a lot of effort.

Last but not least just before you serve your dish(whilst still simmering, add a little single cream...amazing!!!

Also if you are cooking from scratch, and your meals are for one or two people, why not cook twice as much and freeze half to cut down on your cooking time! i saved hours and now i can spend quality time with the missus......watching Emerdale, Easty's and Corrie....great?

[ursula62]

Hi Janetta - it's not stupid - how can you learn if you don't ask questions?

Ground cumin is a spice, it's brown coloured. Usually sold in small jars in the supermarket. Don't buy a huge bag of it as it loses its flavour after storing for a while. Try and keep your jars of spices in a cupboard rather than out on the kitchen counter as light can cause them to lose flavour.

If you're using cornflour, add it towards the end, and mix it with a little water until it looks like milk before pouring it into the sauce. Otherwise it will go lumpy. Bring the sauce back to the boil slowly, stirring as you go and hey presto - thickens in minutes.

Red chillis are fine, but are usually hotter than green ones. Wear rubber / latex gloves when chopping chillis as the stuff stays on your hands for ages even after washing thoroughly and its really painful if you rub your eye later!

[ursula62]

Janetta, just a thought, but if you are cooking for just one  or two people then try Delia Smith's "Cooking for One" book. There's some great recipes in there and it will give you a good introduction to some basic cookery techniques. Once you've got those under your belt you can experiment with herbs and spices and make what you like!

[Janetta]

Ursula, thank you so much for your useful information and for going to so much trouble.  I meant to rate your original answer higher but I am unfamiliar with this site and got in a muddle!  I will be cooking madly this weekend and I intend to make some super chilli and bolognese.  I have the Delia book How to Cook but sometimes it is nice to get other people's opinions on simple recipes.  I will look out for the one your recommend though.  Thank you again. 

[ursula62]

Glad to help. Good luck with the cooking. Remember that cooking is meant to be fun so don't get stressed out about it. Take your time.

The first time you do a recipe follow the instructions in the book exactly, second time you cook something try tweaking the recipe a bit, e.g. try different herbs / spices, use pork mince instead of beef, add different vegetables etc.

Make a note of your changes in a notebook or folder so that if the recipe is better your way, you can cook it the same next time.

I always collect the freebie recipe cards from supermarkets - even if I don't use the recipes exactly they have some wonderful ideas on them!

[mattvanduck]

i second that ursula!!! i often pick up supermarket recipies and "tweak" them, feels like you made em all yourself, he he!!

I can't add to what you have put, cooking is fun and don't ever be put off if someone does not like something you have made.

Summers on the doorstep and you wont need to freeze much as soon.... its salad all the way. If i could pass any bit of info on with cooking and also the purchase of food it would be to look at the label and try and buy British, you dont even need to go to the supermarket there are plenty of places to go instead!

[Janetta]

I am definitely a fan of buying British and looking at labels.  I cannot believe the "muck" that is included in ready meals.  I never realised before!  I have just given up sweeteners after 30 years and feel so much better for it.  What was I thinking of before!!!  Fresh and natural is best.  I am quite enjoying doing the cooking now, but it does take longer and I don't have much time.  Any time saving tips gratefully received!

[ursula62]

Saving time is easier if you have a Meal Plan (and stick to it!).  If you know you're going to make chilli today and, say, fajitas tomorrow then you can prepare all the veg at once and put half in the fridge in plastic bags or tupperwares. Don't keep chopped veg for more than a day as it will go manky even in the fridge.

As mattvanduck suggested earlier, if you have a freezer, cook more than you need, and then freeze half (I find it best to freeze in single portion sized tupperwares). That way next time you can have a delicious meal without much cooking at all.

Summer is easy - salads, new potatoes, crusty bread, home made dips and barbeques. Don't bother with plastic hams and precooked meats from the supermarket as they are full of salt and other additives. Instead, mix up your marinade and put it in a ziploc bag with the meat. You can leave this to marinate in the fridge overnight/while you're at work. If the weather isn't up to a barbeque then just grill the meat. Marinate chicken cubes in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano and a pinch of chilli powder. Thread them onto skewers with slices of pepper and onion and some button mushrooms if you like them, and just grill or barbeque.

In the winter a slow cooker is a good idea, you can prepare the stuff for the casserole the night before and keep it in the fridge and then just dump it in the slow cooker before you go to work the next morning. All you have to do when you get home is cook rice, pasta or potatoes to serve with the meal.  A casserole isn't just beef stew, it can be chilli, or something grand like coq au vin.

[mattvanduck]

A book i recently read called  "Not on the label" by Felicity Lawrence, mentions many of the additives you mention above, i must say chicken is the most modified food i have ever come in to contact with...... i won't say any more other than buy it if you have the time. Its changed my eating habits, though i may not have lost a lot of weight i can feel better within myself,  if that makes sense? 

[barender]

Not sure about preparing veg and keeping in the frig till the next day - I've read that once any veg is peeled/chopped/sliced etc. . it starts to lose its goodness and flavour, so the quicker you use it after preparation, the better it is.  Any other opinions please?

[ursula62]

Barender - I agree that if it was more than a day old I'd bin it. But just think how long the sell by dates are on the bags of prepared veg in the supermarket - and they are sold with "healthy eating" stickers on.

Even one day in a plastic bag has to be healthier than that!

[barender]

I'm sure it is ursula62 and at least you know who's prepared it!  However I don't buy anything that is ready prepared in plastic bags - just a personal thing I suppose. As you said, they've mostly been hanging around too long for my liking. Supermarkets label them healthy eating - well they are 'supermarkets' after all and I suppose they are 'healthy' eating compared with ready meals and 'TV dinners'. However, ready prepared veggies can be very useful for people such as my elderly mother-in-law, who has a problem with her hands and cannot prepare her own veggies etc. I just don't feel it's the best thing if you have the choice, that's all.

[teamcool]

I dont like kindey beans so I use baked beans instead, they make an interesting alternative :p

[aussiepete]

Here's a link to a great chilli recipe that I have used many times, and is very tasty. From 'Burkes Backyard' TV show (Australia). Enjoy !

http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/2002/archives/2002/food ,_health_&_nutrition/chilli_con_carne

[Janetta]

Ursula62 - one final question if you don't mine.  How many does your recipe serve?  Thank you. 

[ursula62]

Depends how hungry you are and what you serve it with.  At a pinch you'd get about 6-8 snackbar-sized portions to top jacket spuds, but it would serve 4 hungry people as a main course with rice and/or veggies.  More if you serve it with tortillas and toppings.