Chilli Con Carne

A Texan woman once told me "only poor people and vegetarians put beans in" so I suppose this here is a Texan-style chilli con carne. After relentless experimentation, I've managed to make the most flavoursome chilli to date and the trick was to make it as simple as possible. No beans. No tomatoes.

A combination of ancho chilli, cascabel, chipotle and one small habernero was to be my chilli base (you can buy these at Casa Mexico) and a scotch bonnet was thrown in for some ferociousness. The result was a deep, smoky building heat quite unlike any other, with a layer of fruitiness from the scotch bonnet. Scooped up with tortilla chips (I deep fried corn tortillas...) and salsa, the textural difference in using chunks of beef rather than mince is stark. It's messy but I prefer having more texture to get my teeth around.


Chilli Con Carne

Serves 6ish

450gr braising steak
450gr beef shin
2 cascabel chillis
1 ancho chilli
1 habenero chilli
2 chipotle chillis in adobo
1 scotch bonnet
2 tsp Mexican oregano (or use normal)
1 large onion
1 carrot
2 ribs of celery
6 fat cloves of garlic
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 can of lager
500ml of beef stock

Chop the meat into chunks and brown well. Remove from the pan. Meanwhile, rehydrate the habenero, cascabel and ancho chillis in hot water. Dice the onion, carrot and celery and mince the garlic. Throw this into the pan to fry in the beef juices and fat. Cook slowly until softened and lightly golden. Mince the chillis with the chipotles and add to the onion mixture with the oregano. Add the beef back in and then add the cumin and cinnamon stick. Stir well.

Add the can of lager and then bring to the simmer. It will be all foamy but will calm down. Simmer until reduced by half, then add the beef stock and simmer slowly for at least 4 hours. Check it occasionally and add water if it becomes too dry. It tastes better the next day, but is still pretty damn good on the same day.

Wrap It

I love eating with my hands. It's rather more fun than using a knife and fork, or chopsticks and it can be messy. Who doesn't like a bit of mess? So things like wraps, chappatis and other dipping implements are popular with me.

These fajita-style wraps were also a good way of using up excess salad ingredients that I had lurking around the fridge. That lonely chicory was sliced thinly along with a slightly squidgy red pepper. The lettuce which was wilting around the edges was plunged into ice-cold water for a refresh, and then dried and shredded. A salsa was made with a little chopped coriander, chilli, spring onion and garlic and also a guacamole using the same ingredients plus lime juice.

The steak was he most time consuming part of this extremely quick meal as it was marinaded before being grilled to medium rare.

Marinated Steak

For two, as part of the wraps

1 450gr sirloin steak
2 springs of thyme, chopped finely
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Asian shallots, chopped finely
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
A grinding of salt and pepper

Combine the marinade in a bowl, and add the steak. Massage the mixture into the steak and leave for at least 1/2 an hour, or over-night if possible. Grill or griddle the steak for until medium rare and allow it to rest for 15 mins under foil, before slicing into strips.

The wraps were great, especially with a little grated cheese added. I always keep a packet of flour tortilla wraps in the cupboard as they last forever and make a quick dinner, such as this one.