Chilli Con Carne

Recently a friend of mine was invited to a wedding. The bride and groom asked all their friends to send them a recipe which reminds them of a special moment with the particular friend. In the end they put it together into a nice personal cookbook. I think this is a wonderful idea.

My friends dilemma was that the recipe she wanted to send was not something she cooked, it was something I cooked for her on her birthday last year. Chilli Con Carne. So she called me up to get the recipe. I was more than happy to give it to her as it also reminds me of great times we spent together.

I got this recipe from my Mexican neighbour almost 20 years ago when I was living near Pittsburgh. At this time I also learned that the secret to a good Chilli con carne is to cook it with beer. The beer takes away the burning from the chillies. As a result you have a nice spicy Chilli without the burning sensation in your mouth. It really works even though I never found any scientific proof for it.

This makes it a truly international recipe as it is from a Mexican living in the US, given by a German living in India to my friend living in Turkey who sent it to the happy couple in Germany.

This is a dish that takes time because the longer it is cooked the better it tastes. And the more often it is reheated the better it takes.

For 6 portions I take 250g red beans and soak them overnight in water. If you have less time you can take 2 cans of canned red beans, drained and rinsed.

The next morning I cut a large onion, about 100g, into diced. In a large pot I heat 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil. I add the onions along with 5 gloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped and 500g beef tenderloin cut into 2cm cubes. Fry it until the meat is brown on all sides. Now I add a teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons chilli powder, I like to use kashmiri chilli powder but you can use what ever chilli powder you like, and either 4 fresh red chillies or 5-6 dried red chillies cut in halves. I stir this well to temper the chilli. But be careful that it does not get burned.

To this mixture I add 400ml tomato paste, 500g fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced and the soaked beans. After stirring it well I add 500ml of beer. Any regular beer is fine. Do not use strong or dark beer. At this point if you like to you can add some sweet corn kennels to the Chilli.

I cover the pot with a lit, reduce the heat to a minimum and let the Chilli cook for a minimum of 2 hours. I check on it in regular intervals to give it a stir and add up more beer if necessary. If you use canned beans add them after 1 ½ hours of cooking as they otherwise will be overcooked.

After 2 hours I check the taste of the Chilli. If necessary I add up some more spice. This is also the time to add up salt to the Chilli. I let it cook for another 15-30 minutes.

While the Chilli is still on the stove I pre-heat my grill. I take about half a baguette and cut it in thin slices. In a small pot I melt 50g butter. With a bakers brush I brush both sides of the baguette slices with the melted butter and roast it under the grill until both sides are golden brown and crisp.

Most of the times I cook chilli con carne for a buffet at a party. It is so easy to serve. Just put the pot on the buffet, some roasted baguette or tortilla chips in a basket and a bowl of sour cream on the side and everyone helps them selves.

To serve it in a more formal way I pour the chilli into individual bowls. These I place on a big plate along with a small bowl of sour cream and some roasted baguette or tortilla chips on the side.

Enjoy and have fun in the kitchen!

Love

Carola