Chilli con carne

For some reason, chilli con carne is not something I eat often. Maybe it's because the kids and I cannot appreciate the taste of beef, I have never cooked it at home. However, after eating a very nice meal of chilli con carne and pork goulash at SL's house, I began to crave for a hearty bowl of chilli when I woke up to a rainy Monday.

The craving got so bad that I went to two different supermarkets to gather the ingredients to make a big pot of chilli con carne. I used Jamie Oliver's recipe provided by SL but made some changes to suit CH's taste (he likes it spicier, chunkier and cooked with beer).

I rushed home excitedly to cook my first pot of chilli con carne only to realise that nobody's coming home for dinner. It's a good thing chilli tastes better the next day, so I had plenty of time to let the dish mature.

In fact, I let it simmer for so long that I could bring Rusty out for his walk and then go on my 5km run along the canal after that.

I came out from the shower to find Rusty sitting in the kitchen, enjoying the wonderful smells coming out of the pot. Unfortunately I couldn't share my meal with him because of the heaps of chilli powder and cocoa I added.

Here is what it looks like: a bit chunky because of the loads of vegetables, chick pea and strips of beef. I must say it was delicious. Even the kids say so. I ate a small bowl the next morning to find it even tastier.

Having said so much, I'm going to give you the recipe now so you can make your own pot of chilli con carne.

Ingredients:
2 onions
3 cloves garlic
2 red capsicum
1 large carrot
2 sticks celery
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chilli powder (adjust to your liking)
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and ground black pepper
1 tin chickpeas
2 tins chopped tomato
1 can beer
500g minced beef
300g diced beef
Fresh coriander stalks (chopped)

Method
1. Dice carrot, celery, onion, garlic and capsicum (I grilled on high heat in the oven and removed skin) into small pieces.
2. Choose a big casserole dish or pot with a heavy base. Heat up olive oil and toss in all the vegetables.
3. Add all the powder - chilli, cumin, cinnamon and cocoa and keep stirring the vegetables until softened.
4. Stir in drained chickpeas and the 2 cans of tomatoes.
5. Add in ground and diced beef. Stir until well mixed and pour in the can of beer.
6. Add balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and chopped coriander.
7. Bring the mixture to a boil and then let the pot simmer on low heat for 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Serve with fresh coriander. Enjoy!