Chilli con carne
Good quality stewing meat combines beautifully with spicy Colorado sauce, fresh, tangy guacamole and richly flavoured homemade salsa
SERVES
6
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
20
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
50
MINUTES
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
500–725g stewing meat (beef, veal, mutton or pork), cut into 1–2cm (1/2 – 3/4 inch) cubes
225g onions, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced
300ml homemade beef stock or water
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp ground cumin
250g red kidney beans, cooked
flaky sea salt
brown sugar
For the Colorado sauce:
6–7 small dried chillies or 4–5 large fresh ones
1 large red pepper, de-seeded
1 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled
sea salt
1 tbsp chipotle chilli in adobo sauce (optional)
For the guacamole:
1 ripe avocado (Hass if available)
1-2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped coriander or flat-leaf parsley
Freshly-ground black pepper
Tomato and coriander salsa:
4 very ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp chopped red or white onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
½-1 red or green chilli, such as Jalapeño or Serrano, de-seeded and finely chopped
1-2 tbsp coriander, chopped
squeeze of lime juice
flaky sea salt,
freshly ground black pepper
sugar
To serve:
125g soured cream
125g Cheddar cheese, grated
generous handful of fresh coriander leaves
36-40 tortilla chips
Method
Start with the Colorado sauce. If the chillies are dried, soak them in a little water for an hour, then slit them and wash out the seeds. Discard the stalks and do the same with the red pepper.
Puree all the sauce ingredients in a food processor, adding a little of the chilli soaking water if necessary. If you are using fresh chillies, you might need to add a tablespoon or two of cold water. Season to taste with salt. Add the chilli in adobo sauce, if using.
Heat a splash of extra virgin olive oil in a large casserole over a high heat and brown the meat in batches. Remove to a plate. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium and fry for 4-5 minutes until soft and just beginning to colour. Add the crushed garlic and continue to cook for a minute or two. Return the meat to the pan and add the green pepper and Colorado sauce. Pour in just enough stock or water to barely cover the ingredients. Cover the pan tightly with a lid and simmer gently over a low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked and the sauce has reduced to a thick, brownish-red sauce. Check the liquid occasionally and if it seems to be reducing too quickly reduce the heat further and top up with water.
Add the tomato purée, cumin and cooked kidney beans. Season with salt and brown sugar. Simmer for a further 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the guacamole. Scoop out the flesh from the avocado and mash it with a fork. Add the lime juice, olive oil and chopped coriander or parsley, and season to taste with black pepper. If you are not serving immediately, cover the surface with a layer of greaseproof or a beeswax wrapper and chill until needed.
To make the tomato and coriander salsa, mix all of the ingredients together and season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar.
To serve, put a blob of soured cream on top of the chilli, sprinkle with the grated cheese and garnish with some fresh coriander. Accompany with the tortilla chips, guacamole and tomato salsa.
