Epicure Recipe Card #21: Chilli con Carne

The picture on this recipe card has chilli con carne served on a bed of rice. When I think of chilli con carne, I automatically think of nachos, tacos and burritos and luckily I had some taco shells handy at the time. The problem with eating tacos, however, is the associated shell breakage and subsequent dropping of taco fillings everywhere. They are great for a casual dinner with friends where you can ‘play’ with your food over some languid conversation. It’s always interesting to see how people layer the taco fillings because everyone has a theory on the best way and why. Just make sure you know these friends quite well and don’t mind them seeing you make a mess of yourself!

The avocado tossed in lime juice is a nice addition and is much quicker to throw together than your traditional guacamole but of course you can still add a splash of Tobasco if you like. I didn’t have any tinned tomatoes at the time so I used a couple of fresh tomatoes chopped up instead, but ended up with a more watery result than desired. My advice would be to stick to the tinned ones to get a nicer consistency.


Chilli con Carne (serves 2-3)
(adapted from The Age – Epicure 50 Best Recipe Cards, recipe by Jill Dupleix)

Ingredients:
·         1 tbs cooking oil
·         ½ onion, finely chopped
·         1 clove of garlic, crushed
·         1 small red chilli, finely chopped
·         500g beef mince
·         1 tbs Dijon mustard
·         200g tinned chopped tomatoes
·         1 tbs tomato sauce
·         200g can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
·         100mL red wine or beer
·         grated cheese, diced avocado tossed with lime juice, corn chips & taco shells to serve

Method:
  1. Heat oil in a large frypan over medium heat and cook onion until soft. Add garlic and chilli and stir until fragrant.
  2. Add beef, breaking it up in the pan, until cooked through.
  3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until thickened. 

  1. Check for seasoning. Serve with corn chips and/or taco shells garnished with cheese, and diced avocado tossed with lime juice if desired. 

happy cooking!

8 comments:

  1. Mmmm I feel like having some nachos right now....

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  2. Chilli Con Carne, perfect for the cold weather and that looks delish. It is funny how people stack and pack their taco shells, i actually break mine in half then layer, works really well :)

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  3. That looks fantastic! I have some mince in my freezer that I really should do something with :D

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  4. Great looking chilli. I love how versatile it is. I like putting the left overs on a toasted sandwich with heaps of cheese.

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  5. Haha yep, it's definitely best to enjoy tacos in familiar company! Hmm... I feel like tacos now!

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  6. such a perfect dish for cold night like this...

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  7. Ive not had this for awhile. Very fitting for cold winter days.

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  8. Hey Trisha, nachos remind me of warmer weather because it's not stodgy =)

    Hey Sara, it's quite warming with the chilli. Ahhh, so you have open nachos!

    Hey Lorraine, heh, mince often equals bolognese or burgers for me!

    Hey Mark, chilli con carne on toast! But yeah, love how it can be used for so many things.

    Hey Betty, not exactly date food, is it? =p

    Hey Anh, with rice for cold weather and with corn chips for warmer weather =D

    Hey Penny, I'm sure it'd make a great pie filling too!

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