Chilli con carne

[Brengirl]

My OH does his fair share of the cooking but sticks to the familiar ones. His roast chicken is one to die for. He has plucked up courage to experiment a bit and has produced some great bolognese but he also prepares a chili con Carny that is not exactly to my taste in that the flavour is not full enough and the dish on the dry side. I don't really think I would do much better but am quite sure there is someone out there that makes it just as I imagine it should be. Tell me what is the secret to get a rich and full flavoured sauce with a big chili hit.

[Nicos]

I add Lea and Perrins and a big blob of butter for richness. Does it need more salt to bring out the 'hidden' flavour?

[zazen999]

I add some cocoa and some cumin when cooking the onion.

[Rhona]

Grated dark chocolate and cumin (I prefer whole, not ground). Using a decent, slightly concentrated stock helps build flavour too. And not too many tomatoes.

[Glutton4...]

Chocolate? In Chilli con Carne? Well, I never - ya learn sommat new every day!

[Brengirl]

Well it really was quite good (notice the quite). I had some sour cream in the fridge which helped but think maybe chocolat maybe the ingredient I am missing. Thing is, lol, if I make the next one OH won't like it

[binley100]

Chuck some grated chocolate in when his back is turned ....

[Hilary B]

I do 2 recipes, the 'simple' one (mince, onion, garlic, tinned toms, tabasco) and the 'better' version (much the same but with cocoa powder or cooking chocolate added) chocolate if I've got it handy, otherwise I blend a heaped teaspoon per portion of cocoa powder with a very little water until smooth, MICROWAVE IT (it goes thick and gooey) and stir in when adding the tinned toms. It isn't exactly the 'classic' recipe, but it works, and is VERY easy!
I got in the habit of using tabasco for the chilli content when I was living where other forms of chilli were hard to source reliably (couldn't grow them, fresh were never seen, and chilli powder was usually stale the day I bought it).

[HotStuff]

Smoked paprika & Jack Daniel's.

[cardiffsteve]

Venison

I use venison mince or cubes and add dark chocolate.
Also use half a scotch bonnet pepper for a bit of extra flavour.

Steve

[Alison]

INGREDIENTS:

200g bean mix (include cannellini, black turtle, ked kidney, haricot etc beans)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 red chillies, chopped
700g beef mince
2 tsp paprika
3 tsp tomato puree
2 tins of tomato
300ml beef stock
1 pinch of sugar
2 bay leaves
4 squares of plain dark chocolate
Seasoning
Chopped coriander
Sour cream

METHOD:

1. Soak beans overnight. Drain water and rinse beans thoroughly. Place in large pan of unsalted water and bring to the boil for at least 10 minutes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 75 minutes until tender.
2. In a casserole pot, heat the oil and soften the onion, garlic and chillies.
3. Add the mince and cook until brown.
4. Add the paprika, tomato puree, tomatoes, stock, sugar and bay leaves.
5. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
6. Stir in the beans and chocolate. Season and cook for a further 30 minutes.
7. Sprinkle on chopped coriander and serve with boiled rice and sour cream.

I usually add a couple of fresh chillies to jazz it up a bit but depends on how hot you like it

[Wren]

I like to add a splosh of red wine into it at the end of the cooking, give it a good stir then turn off the heat and let it sit for 30 mins to infuse an add richness. Then you just bring it back up to a simmer for about 7 mins whilst the rice is cooking. I use lea and perrings too .

[kalimna]

Simples.

2 tins beans (kidney/mixed/whatever, but no 'sauce')
2 tins chopped toms
2-4 onions, half chopped v fine, half chopped larger
lots of garlic
800g steak mince (gotta use good mince)
1-2 desert spoons ground cumin + coriander (start with one, add more if needed during cooking)
lots of freshly ground black pepper (use more than you think you need)
salt
1 pint beef/veg stock (slightly concentrated, as mentioned above)
dried chillis - depending on how hot you like it, so to taste, but I use a combo of :
smoked jalepeno, ancho and naga (not much, to provide heat). I find the smoked jalepenos add a very interesting flavour.
1-2tbs smoked/hot paprika if you feel like it.

Basic Procedure :
I find that the combo of ingredients isnt so important as long, slow cooking, using plenty of onions and correcting the spices halfway through.

gently fry onions in oil, till golden, not burnt.
fry up batches of mince, heavily seasoned with salt and pepper, browning it. If you dont do it in batches, the mince will tend to 'stew' rather than fry, and you need the flavours of the browned meat to enhance the final sauce.
add garlic and ground spices to onions, and fry a little more to cook away the 'ground'-ness
add chopped toms/beans/mince/onion mix/chillis/stock (using a little stock to deglaze the pans used to fry the mince and onions) together in ovenproof pot/casserole and stir well
cook in oven, gas mark 2ish for 2-3 hours, checking seasoning and stirring the mix every so often.

Enjoy the following day with rice/tortillas/etc

The following day part of the recipe is very, very important to allow the flavours to meld.

Adam S

[Flummery]

I've never tried chocolate in mine (seems a waste of a sacred ingredient!) but I do add tomato puree as well as tomatoes to enrich the flavour. I also add smoked paprike. Mr F reckons he doesn't like smoked paprika so I don't tell him it's in there!
I agree with the 'make it in advance' advice. I do the same with curries.

[Comfreyfan]

Definitely make it in advance, day before is best. Use tomato puree with the tomatoes and chilli powder, 10 minutes before I serve it I add a tin of red kidney beans in chilli sauce - doesn't seem to add any extra heat, but does give the sauce some extra depth - it's also nice and quick! Haven't tried chocolate in it - but I'm game for anything with chocolate in, going to give it a try!