Best chilli con carne recipe to serve over Christmas period

[outinthesticksmummy]

HI

We are currently living in a caravan whilst our house is being build ....and all my recipe books are packed !

I have offered to do dinner on the wed after christmas in return for use of grandmas house. COuld do with some delicious recipes fpr chilli con carne. Am feeding 12 ....but will prob do half spicy and half non spicy, to cater for kids and grandma. Will serve with tacos sour cream and cheese ..........Any ideas on best recipe ??

Thanksx

bump

There is a lovely nigella one in the feast book (I think) that my mother did once, it's chunks of beef, chorizo etc and it was delicious. Shall find the recipe for you.

Was in the Christmas book and found it online:

Hands-on time: 15-20 minutes
Total Baking time: 3 hours or so (Nigella likes it best the next day)
Serves 12 (freezes well)
Be warned: it is pretty spicy! So spicy in fact, I had to serve it over couscous to absorb some of the heat.

Ingredients:
550g/1lb chorizo sausage (not the salami kind) (usually 10 sausages)
3.5lb/1.5kg boneless shin of beef, cut into 1.5? cubes
1 lb/ 500g onions peeled (about 3 medium)
3 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 fresh red chili, deseeded
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Seeds from 3 cardamom pods
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried crushed chilies (I only used ½ tsp and it was still very spicy for us)
4 tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
4 cans 14oz/400g red kidney beans, drained (I actually only used 2 ? no room in the pot)
3 cans 14oz/400g chopped tomatoes
¼ cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup water (I didn?t find I needed it as the sauce was thin enough without it)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C.

1. Finely chop or process the onion, garlic & chili

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy oven proof pan with a lid and sauté the onion, garlic and chili paste until soft over low heat (about 10 minutes). Add the cardamom seeds, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and dried chilies. (Ruth?s note: I really would start with less than you think you?ll need. Remember that the chorizo is very spicy all by itself).

1. Stir the oniony spiced mixture together and then add the chorizo sliced into ½? coins, ?letting them ooze their paprika orange oil? I do love how Nigella writes.

1. Drop in the cubes of beef, turning them in the pan with the chorizo and onion mix to brown the meat.

1. Stir in the tomato puree, ketchup, drained kidney beans and chopped tomatoes. Ruth?s note: Nigella adds water at this point, but I?d hold off until later if you really need to). Bring to a boil. Once it boils, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the chili, stir and then cover and bake at low heat for 3 hours.

Nigella?s advice: It?s best left overnight in the fridge to improve the flavors. To heat the next day, tip into a large ovenproof casserole or pan, bring it SLOWLY to a boil on top of the stove and transfer to the oven at 300°F/150°C for an hour.

Jamie Oliver Minister of Food one is gorgeous.

Second the Jamie one.

I would just adjust the amount of fresh chili and dried crushed chili to suit taste for the non spicy half.

Mine is popular (do it for catering and had great feedback)

Soften onion and garlic in some chilli oil Also add chopped (naga) chillis if you want
Brown mince
Add passata and good splodges of tomato puree and a can of tinned chopped tomatoes
Cook down for a bit
Add spoonful or so of brown sugar
Add a small bar of Bournville chocolate
Add kidney beans
Season with chilli powder, black pepper, salt and cinnamon plus some smoked paprika

oh thankyou !!

Husband doesn't really do beef apart from in mince form , so best stick with that.....although the Nigella one sounds lush to me !!

Will go look online for Jamie one

Hobbgoblin .....chocolate ??? really

Personally, I think Jamie's recipe in his Happy Days book is fantastic. I use it every time

chocolate, or even a dstspoon of dark cocoa powder is fab in chilli.

So is beer.

I always use Gordon Ramsays (from the Channel4 website) recipe and add a couple of squares of dark chocolate and a little smoked paprika too. Divide up, and then add lots of fresh/hot chillis for the adults.

Warning - too much chocolate make s it taste seriuosly weird. There's a fine line

i'd third the Jamie Oliver recipe - both are great but the one from Ministry of food just tastes really fresh:

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/chilli-con-carne

Agree with PrettyFeckinFairyLights, love this recipe in Jamie Olivers Happy Days cookbook which uses sun dried tomatoes.