Chilli Con Carne..

[WorzselMummage]

I'd love a good from scratch chilli recipe if anyone knows one.

I usually use the spice sachet and we all enjoy them but i thought i'd try the Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food recipe yesterday and it was so bland half of it went in the bin

It had Cumin, Chilli and Cinnamon in but tbh i couldn't taste anything

I dont use cinnamon but you need loads of cumin. Saute plenty of garlic with the onions before you put the meat in is good too. Brown the meat. I add the cumin at this point and chilli at this point. Then add the tomatoes plus i put a tiny bit of sugar to take the edge off the tomatoes. Simmer long and slow, i do ours at least an hour. It's often better the day after when it's been in the fridge. I put the beans - kidney or black in for about 20 mins at the end.

Google Nigella Express Quick Chilli. It's fab and literally takes 10 mins to make and then simmer for about 30mins and it's delicious. Has cumin, cinnamon and coriandor and it's just fab.

i use loads of tabasco sauce in mine.

chocolate supposed to be nice in chilli

i add lots kidney and baked beans and handful of red lentils and cook in teh slow cooker and it is always delish and full of flavour

Jamie's recipe is nice and is padded out a bit with beans and chickpeas.

sprinkle of cocoa powder.
weird but yummy.

I add a square of dark chocolate to chili con carne. Also nice to make it with small chunks of braising steak rather than mince and cook really slowly.

Sorry - just realised that you had tried the Jamie one but aren't impressed.

I would just add more of the chilli powder and add a chopped up fresh red chilli. I also add some sun dried tomato paste (Sacla and Sainsbury's do small jars). That should liven it up!

Cumin, dark chocolate, good quality mince, plenty of fresh chilli, finely diced anchovies (trust me on that one, about 4 0r 5 fillets). Cook it slowly and tbh best when reheated the following day.

I wasn't keen on JO's either. I use a Pat Chapman recipe. From memory as follows:

Fry some garlic and Cumin for a minute or 2, then add chopped onion and fry until soft.

Meanwhile in an ovenproof dish mix a tin of chopped toms, a chopped red pepper and chilli powder (about half to a full tspn dep on your taste). Add the onion mix to the dish.

Brown your mince, add about 1 tbspn tom puree, 2 tbspn tom ketchup and 1 tbspn worcester sauce. Mix and fry for about 5 mins.

Add mince to rest of ingredients. Put in oven at no 5 for about 45 mins - 1 hour. Add a couple of tins of kidney beans, put back in oven for half an hour or so.

It's the best I've had! If you need exact measures for ingredients/timings, let me know and I'll dig out the recipe.

FWIW, I found JO's spag bol really bland as well. But his curries have been superb.

I haven't tried the Nigella express chilli, but her chilli recipe in 'Feast' is fantastic. Same sort of thing - layering up the flavours with cumin, coriander, cardamon pods, chilli and cocoa. (All the 'c's. I serve it with homemade coleslaw www.cookingforgirls.co.uk/recipes/homemade-coleslawand garlic bread when we are having a crowd over. Nigella tops her chilli with cornbread. Stress free entertaining, because you can cook it in advance and it tastes even better.