Chilli con Carne

I love the history of chilli con carne with its wild west heritage and the image of the chilli queens stirring their pots over fires in the squares of San Antonio.   I found this description of the origins on foodrepublic.com :

“Anyone can create an original pot o’ red with the right blueprint, yet that first delicious spoonful only cracks the surface of chilli con carne. Dig in and you’ll find a culinary rabbit hole of fiery flavours, ingredients, techniques and history.

Southwestern lore dates the origin to the religious trances of the mystic Lady in Blue, Sister María de Ágreda. Sister Maria never left her home country of Spain, yet professed to evangelize savages of the New World by presenting herself before them in hypnotic visions. History cannot explain why in 1629, 50 Jumano Indians walked out of the desert of unsettled West Texas to be baptized. They told stories of an ethereal blue-clad woman who had taught them of God. According to Indian legend, the Lady in Blue also taught them of a fiery red stew, which over the next century came to be known as chilli con carne.

Spanish priests took a more hostile view of this peculiarly potent brew, deeming it “soup of the devil” and preaching sermons against indulgence. Suppression only fueled the fire, and by the 19th century chilli was a staple among cowboys, ruffians and adventurers on the Western frontier. Bricks of dried beef, fat, spices and peppers were saddlebagged for the trail and reconstituted over the campfire.

As the Civil War ended, chilli's popularity took off. By the turn of the century, Chilli Queens (brightly dressed Mexican American women) began to operate around Military Plaza and other public gathering places in downtown San Antonio. They appeared at dusk, when they built charcoal or wood fires to reheat cauldrons of pre-cooked chilli. They sold it by the bowl to passersby. The aroma was a potent sales pitch; mariachi street musicians joined in to serenade the eaters.”

There are lots of commercial mexican/chilli spice mixes available but making your own is much nicer and really just as quick.  Spices can be expensive to buy but remember you’ll get a lot of dishes out of them, so it’ll be cheaper in the long run.  

Chilli con Carne

1 tbsp oil

1 large onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder (or 1 tsp chilli flakes)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

500g lean minced beef

1 beef stock cube

400g can chopped tomatoes

½ tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp sugar

410g can red kidney beans

plain boiled long grain rice, to serve

sour cream, to serve

fresh green salad, to serve

Add the oil to a wok or a large frying pan and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot. Add the onions and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and slightly translucent. Add the garlic, red pepper, 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder or 1 level tbsp mild chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Brown the 500g lean minced beef. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. Keep stirring for at least 5 minutes, to ensure there are no more lumps or pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.

Add the beef stock cube into 300ml hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture. Open 1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g can) and add these as well. Tip in ½ tsp dried marjoram and 1 tsp sugar, and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Stir well.

Bring the chilli to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water.

Drain and rinse 1 can of red kidney beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat.

Serve with sour cream, plain boiled long grain rice and a fresh green salad.