Saturday supper with friends : Chilli con carne

Looking back I guess I was in my late teens / early twenties when I first discovered Chilli Con Carne, now-a-days even some of the grandchildren love it. Times through the decades have certainly changed as new foods - herbs, spices etc. have been introduced and it's always nice to explore new and different tastes. 

But, back to my reminisces, I can remember Friday or Saturday night supper gatherings with a large bowl of Chilli on the table, bowls of lovely salad and plenty of wine or beer available. Friends would gather to celebrate the end of the working week, or the 'phew thank-goodness it's the weekend feeling' and the atmosphere just couldn't be bettered.

Well now quite a few years on ... it is still nice to gather with friends and family and just chill out, catch up on news, be together, enjoy some great food in some great company.

So in today's recipe suggestion this dish can be made a day or two ahead to allow the flavours to develop, and yes, goes down great at a supper party with family and/or friends. Why not serve it with a green salad, and perhaps some sliced spring onions and soured cream and chives.

Ingredients

Serves 8 (amend recipe as needed)
3 tbsp olive oil
1.25 kg good-quality ground beef mince
2 large onions, chopped
1 red or green pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp Mexican spice blend
1 tbsp hot paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp crushed dried chilli flakes (optional)
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
250 ml of your favourite beer
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
230 g tub fresh tomato salsa
410 g tin red kidney beans in water, drained and rinsed
soured cream and chives or sliced spring onions, to serve

Method
1. Heat a little of the oil in a large pan. Brown the mince in batches, moving it to a bowl as you go; set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onions and pepper and cook, uncovered, until the onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add the spices, the black pepper and a teaspoon of salt and cook for another minute or two, stirring.
3. Return the mince to the pan and add the beer, 300ml water, the tomatoes, tomato purée and salsa; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours, stirring now and then. Add a little more beer or water if it looks dry. Add the kidney beans for the final 15 minutes. Check the seasoning. You can cook it in the oven, too – simply cover the chili and pop it in the oven at 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4 and follow the cooking times above. To make this in a slow cooker, leave out the added water and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
5. May be served with a green salad, perhaps some sliced spring onions and soured cream and chives.

Get ahead
Why not make this up to 3 days ahead – it freezes well too.

Tips

i) some readers may wish to substitute minced/ground beef for meat free quorn
ii) you can make this in a slow cooker too - just leave out the added water and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Each serving (using ground minced beef) provides

13g carbohydrate 5g fibre 35g protein 31g fat

From original idea here

Enjoy - with family, with friends - and have a wonderful evening.

~ wishing all readers a happy weekend ~

Dear reader, you will find a variety of recipe ideas within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan