Chilli con Carne

This is a really easy recepie for Chilli which we have been cooking for many years in our house! This is very simialr to our Bolognese Sauce recepie with a few additions and bits taken out.

You can add whatever you like to this but here are the ingrediants we use.

This should serve 4 easily with left overs you can freeze for another day.

What you will need

350g of minced beef
1 Medium / large Onion
1 Red pepper seeded
1 Green pepper seeded
1 Yellow pepper seeded
2 Garlic cloves
2 Tins of chopped tomatoes
1 squeeze of tomato puree
1/2 Teaspoon chilli powder (to taste use less if it's too hot)
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper - this gives it a real kick
2 Teaspoons Paprika
1 Tin Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

How to make your Chilli con Carne:

I find it easier to chop everything first then cook, but if you are in a rush you can do several things at once!

Chop the onion and peppers in to small chunks - how small is up to you as we have small children we find it best to chop into small squares about the size of a 5p piece.

Place the mince in a large pan - non-stick if you have it but it isn't important. You will notice that we haven't included any oil in the recipe as mince tends to be quite high in fat so once it starts to cook you really don't need any.

Keep stirring the mince until brown, you will notice quite a lot of fat in the pan once the mince is brown. You can either drain this fat off, if you are feeling really healthy, or leave in for a bit of extra taste.

Once browned crush the garlic cloves and add to the pan along with the chopped onion. Stir these together over a high heat until the onion starts to change colour (it will start to go a bit see through). You only need to soften the onion don't cook it too long or it will burn.

Add the chopped peppers to the mixture and stir in well. If the mince has gone a bit dry at this point you can add a splash of water to stop it sticking. (You see you really don't need any oil unless you like your food greasy).

Keep stirring the mixture and add the spices - Chilli powder, Cayenne Pepper and Paprika.

Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree and stir well. You can add more water by rinsing the tomato tinns out to give a bit more sauce.

Cover and simmer for about an hour - the longer you leave it the more infused the flavour will be.

Don't forget to taste, you may want to add some more spices depending on your taste and if you must put some salt in!

Your Chilli con Carne should now be ready to serve with rice (brown or white) and some warmed Pitta Bread.