Chilli con Carne
A proper, deeply built chilli — three varieties of fresh chilli, cumin, cinnamon, and red wine slow-simmered with minced beef and kidney beans into a rich, thick, warming bowlful. Serves eight and improves dramatically the next day.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2.2 lbs (1kg) minced beef
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 red peppers, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1–2 teaspoons chilli flakes
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato purée
- 7 fl oz (200ml) red wine
- 2 tins (400g each) cherry or plum tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1.8 pints (1 litre) beef stock
- 1 tin (400g) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or casserole over high heat. Add the minced beef in batches if necessary — crowding the pan causes the meat to steam rather than brown. Cook, stirring to break up any large clumps, until the beef is deeply browned all over. Transfer the browned beef to a plate and set aside, leaving the fat and any caramelised bits in the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and diced red peppers to the same pan. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely softened and beginning to colour — this long, gentle cook is what builds the sweet, rounded base of the chilli. Add a little more oil if the pan looks dry. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the chopped green chillies, red chilli, chilli flakes, ground cumin, and ground cinnamon to the pan. Stir well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the spices to toast gently in the residual oil and fat. The cinnamon is not a mistake — used in small quantities it adds warmth and complexity that rounds out the heat of the chillies without tasting at all sweet or Christmassy.
- Return the browned beef to the pan. Add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato purée, stirring both through thoroughly until the purée has coated the meat evenly. Pour in the red wine, scraping up any stuck bits from the base of the pan as you stir — those caramelised deposits dissolve into the wine and add significant depth to the finished sauce.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, dark brown sugar, and beef stock. Stir everything together, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and leave the chilli to simmer uncovered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should reduce and thicken substantially over this time, concentrating in flavour and darkening in colour. If it reduces too quickly, add a splash more stock or water.
- Stir in the drained kidney beans, taste the chilli and adjust the seasoning with salt, more chilli flakes, or a pinch more sugar as needed. Continue simmering for a further 15 minutes until the beans are heated through and have absorbed some of the sauce. Serve in deep bowls with rice, jacket potatoes, or warm flatbreads alongside.
Chef’s Note: The structure of this chilli is built on two things most weeknight versions skip: browning the beef properly and cooking the vegetables for a full 15 minutes before anything else goes in. Both steps are worth the extra time. A good hard sear on the beef creates deep, meaty flavour compounds through the Maillard reaction that no amount of simmering can replicate from raw. And the long, slow cook of the onions and peppers transforms them from pungent raw alliums into something sweet, soft, and almost jammy — the flavour foundation everything else is built on. The kidney beans go in at the very end rather than the beginning because a long simmer makes them mushy and their skins begin to break down, muddying the sauce. Fifteen minutes is enough time to warm them through and let them absorb some of the chilli without losing their shape.
This chilli is one of the best make-ahead dishes you can have in your repertoire. Made a day in advance and reheated gently on the stovetop, it is noticeably richer and more cohesive than when freshly cooked — the flavours continue to develop and meld overnight in the refrigerator. It freezes beautifully for up to three months; portion it into airtight containers before freezing so you can defrost exactly what you need. Serve with soured cream, grated cheddar, sliced jalapeños, and fresh coriander for a fully loaded bowl, or keep it simple with just rice and a wedge of lime to squeeze over.
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