Henri - Thrift

Chilli Con Carne

Serves 3-4

So, it’s the week before pay-day – Lauren and I are feeling a little poor right now, and as much as we love to cook these delicious treats for you all, we had to restrain ourselves this week due to the lack of funds. Hence, thrift week! It was time to delve into the cupboards and see what we could rummage for a cheap meal.

I’m quite lucky in that my parents own a meat factory so I generally have quite the selection of meat in my freezer – mince was spotted first and I know that my spice selection is pretty good so it was inevitable that I went for chilli con carne. I know the ingredients list seems extensive, but you’ll find that once you’ve bought the spices first time around you’re well equipped. I would definitely say they’re an investment, and really allow you to be adventurous with so different dishes.

Usually, I am a fan of quite a spicy chilli, but knowing that Grace and Nia prefer subtle spiciness I decided to be a bit more experimental with a variety of spices that can give a fab flavour and divine aroma!

Chilli is a great one because it can be made in bulk, and also adapted for different people – rice/tacos/even mashed potato.  Since I was cooking for my housemates and our friend Chris, I chose tacos because they make for a fun group meal.

I made extra so that I could freeze a couple of batches and have some left for lunches.

Ingredients

500g lean minced beef

1 tbsp oil

1 large onion, diced

1-2 red peppers, sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin (cumin seeds)

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cracked black pepper

Pinch of salt

1-2 beef stock cubes, diluted in 500ml water

3 tbsp tomato purée

2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1-2 x cans red kidney beans

To serve

Old El Paso taco shells

Sour cream

Tomato salsa

Guacamole

Grated cheese

Method

In a frying pan, cover the mince meat with cold water and simmer on a low heat until the meat has browned in colour – this will extract the excess fat from the meat reducing the oil residue when the chilli has been cooked. Using a colander drain the meat and leave to the side. 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan/Le Creuset dish and fry the onion on a low heat for 3 minutes, adding the garlic and frying for a further 2 minutes, and then the spices. 

Tip in the red peppers and then add the meat, stirring to coat in the spices. Use the spatula to break up any lumps of meat, until the mix resembles fine mince.

The foundation of the chilli has now been made, so next comes the sauce. Pour the beef stock into the pan and then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée. 

Season the mix with salt, pepper and sugar according to personal taste. For real depth you can add a cube or two of dark chocolate.

 

Simmer gently, and bring the mix to the boil. Add a lid to the dish and leave to cook for 30-40 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Rinse and drain the kidney beans then add them to the chilli, allowing to bubble for 10 minutes. At this point, the chilli is ready to be served, but can be left and re-heated. The longer it is left the more the flavours will infuse – sometimes you’ll find the chilli tastes even better the next day!

Chilli is so adaptable – it can be served with anything. I chose to have tacos, but long-grain rice is also great for traditional chilli con carne. Serve with sour cream and salsa, and if you’re feeling really naughty like we were, go for guacamole and grated cheese too!