Chilli con Carne – The Autumn Kick-off

September 22, 2014 by Soup Guru 2 Comments

Chilli con carne

Chilli con carne

Hello foodies of the world!

Equinox are here, spring in the southern half  of the globe and autumn in the northern one, both suitable seasons for nice strolls at sunset, new clothing and make-up and comforting soup among others… What do you enjoy the most about season changing?

It is autumn in my current half of the world and I couldn’t be happier about it!  It has always been my favourite time of the year, and to celebrate it, today I prepared a Chilli con carne that was so yummy I wish you could smell it through your screens.

Restaurant Tex-Mex food has always disappointed me, honestly is not very well mastered in Spain in general. So, as I always do when I can´t  find it elsewhere, after a some research, I make my own!

The good thing about this dish is that its ingredients are simple and easy to find in any regular grocery store and although slightly time-consuming is easy to prepare. I have at least a couple of recipes I made before the chilli that I also want to share, but this one was so delicious that I felt the urge to post it right away. I used dried beans, but a quicker version can be prepared with pre-cooked or tinned beans, in which case you won’t need to use the pressure cooker.

Let’s dig in?

Chile con carne

• Servings: 4
• Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes
• Difficulty: medium
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Ingredients

• a dash of olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 400 g. minced meat (I used 1/2 beef + 1/2 pork)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tsp chilli powder (for medium-hot or adjust to desired spiciness level) 
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• a pinch of cinnamon powder
• 1/2 glass of red wine
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 big tin of diced tomatoes in juice
• 1/4 liter beef stock
• 100 g dried red kidney beans
• Steamed rice (I used Basmati) to serve
• Plain yogurt/sour cream to garnish (I used low-fat Greek yogurt)
• Chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker pot* and sauté the onion, garlic and pepper over medium heat until soft.
2. Add the meat, season with salt and pepper and powder spices, stir to mix and allow to brown.
3. Pour the red wine, turn up the heat and let evaporate a few minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes in juice and stock. Rectify salt if necessary.
5. Put in the beans.
6. Cover and pressure cook* for around 25 minutes (this may vary according to your pressure cooker model)
7. Serve with a side of rice, and garnish with a dollop of yogurt and coriander (I also added a couple of pickled jalapeños slices)
8. Dig in and enjoy!

 

*Always follow your pressure cooker instructions and manage it with due care.

Chilli con carne