15 Chilli

Here is a recipe for making chilli.  Sorry there are no exact measurements as I just chuck stuff in and taste as necessary, usually making a huge pot and freezing some of it

Ingredients
good quality beef mince (leaner the better)
diced lean pork chops or chunks (optional)
oil
onion
garlic cloves
ground cumin
tin of chipotles in adobo
dried paesillo chilli (optional)
tins of chopped tomatos
tin of red kidney beans
very small piece of dark chocolate

Method
Chop the onion and garlic up then gently cook in some oil in a large saucepan for about 10 minutes or thereabouts.  Add the mince and brown.  If using the pork too I usually brown it in another pan as there isn't enough room in the one with mince in it.  Add the pork to the mince once it has been browned.  Stir in the cumin - lots of it.

I have tried adding chicken rather than pork but it just doesn't work.  I've also used chunks of chorizo which adds a great deal of colour though can be a bit chewy with the lumps of fat in it.  I've also tried using chunks of stewing beef instead of mince and it was so hot it was almost inedible as there wasn't enough meat to soak up the heat of the chillis.

 The chipotles I like are made by a company called La Preferida and can be bought from Lupe Pintos in Edinburgh. If you want a mild chilli remove one chipotle from the tin and a teaspoon or so of the adobo sauce, chop up the chilli and add to the mixture.  You can keep the rest for ages in a jar or tub in the fridge.  If you want the chilli to be wild add and chop up all the chillis.  Throw in a whole, dried paesillo chilli for a really earthy taste too but remove before serving.




Next, add the tins of tomatos.  You could use passatta if you prefer.  I usually use enough to cover the meat already in the pan. Cook on a fairly low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or so.  Then add in the tin of kidney beans and grate in the piece of dark chocolate.  It has to be dark chocolate not milk chocolate and don't use too much or it tastes like a dessert.  Stir all this in and cook for another 30 minutes or so, again stirring every so often.

You can tell if the chilli is ready by standing a wooden spoon in the centre of the pot.  If the wooden spoon stands upright in the middle of the pot without falling then the chilli is ready.  If it wavers or slides to one side then you need to cook it for a while longer.  Remember to remove the paesillo chilli (if you're using it) before plating up.

For best results decant into a sealed tub and, once cold, put in the fridge and leave for 24 hours before reheating and serving.  Freeze the rest to cook at a later date.

Serve with rice, nachos, tortillas, chips...and a liberal dose of my pico di gallo sauce (reciple posted here a couple of months ago).  A good, strong red wine, such as rioja, goes well with this.

I admit it doesn't look terribly appetising in this picture but it does taste good, honest!