Chili

[oldbloke]

Ok, we all know how to cook chili con carne.
OR DO WE???
Basics: soften onion & garlic; brown meat, chuck in the rest (tomatoes, peppers, red kidney beans)
But everybody seems to do it a bit different.
Eg, sweetcorn goes in ours, but not everybody does that.
I put the spices (chili and cumin) in with the meat so it spices it instead of floating about in the sauce: when do YOU put the spices in? Which spices?
And I put in about an ounce of good plain chocolate for each pound of meat, just after it's browned: few people do that, or if they do, maybe they don't put it in at that point.
And sometimes I thicken it up with tomato puree if I want it done quicker.
So, how do YOU cook YOUR chili con carne?

Comments

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Aaargh, sweetcorn, truly the pulse/seed/legume/call it what you will of the devil and no mistake (second only to peas). However, the plain chocolate is an inspired move and does feature in enough genuine Mexican recipes.
A happy cinco de Mayo to you too.

[pookee.livejournal.com]

Eg, sweetcorn goes in ours, but not everybody does that.

SICKOPERVE!

And I put in about an ounce of good plain chocolate for each pound of meat

You may have just redeemed yourself.

So, how do YOU cook YOUR chili con carne?

Remove cardboard sleeve, pierce film, heat in microwave, peel off film, tip onto plate, eat.

[pookalso.livejournal.com]

I would never have even considered chocolate. It sounds like a very good idea.

[hoiho.livejournal.com]

Spices, as aways, go in witht teh onions and garlic.
Chocolate, when it's used, goes in tale on.

[nalsa.livejournal.com]

About a tablespoon of cocoa powder mixed with some tomato juice, at the start of the "leave it on top of the cooker for a couple of hours" stage.

Other spices during the browning onions bit. Plenty of chillis in with the onions; never chilli powder. Never sweetcorn, too, and tomatoes must be skinned and fairly finely chopped so they don't come out the temperature of lava.

[ulygan.livejournal.com]

how do YOU cook YOUR chili con carne?

non carne

[ulygan.livejournal.com]

how do YOU cook YOUR chili con carne?

Less flippantly

Onions, garlic, cumin (lots please), chopped green chilies - fried in olive oil. Add meat substitute or lentils or whatever takes our fancy and fry off in spices. Then add red beans and tinned crushed/fresh chopped tomatoes and cook until hunger pangs will bear no more.

There's rarely any choccie for adding, since we've usually scoffed any choccie bought on the pretence of "keeping for cooking" before the need to use it arises. Bad timing is our speciality.

Secret ingredient: oregano

De rigeur: hot bread and warm garlicky, herby, olive oil for dunking

[metallikat.livejournal.com]

Schwartz hot chili mix, innit.
I've got some Mexican chocolate here if you want some - I brought 4lbs back from my last trip to the US and haven't used it much - but sounds like your chocolate would work better anyway. The mexican stuff is very crunchy-sugary and has a strong cinnamon flavour.

[i-comment-lol.livejournal.com]

I like going to Wendy's and just picking out the beans.

[eyekiller.livejournal.com]

What ever I do it is without the evil kidney beans. I don't get it - they add nothing and spoil everything. Leave them out kids, your chili will be better.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

imc added cocoa tonight. It probably isn't as good as proper chocolate but it definitely gave it something. I think further experimentation is on the cards.

Speaking of which, have you tried adding (a small amount of) chilli powder to hot chocolate? Has to be good dark hot chocolate, not Cadbury's Options or similar, but it's well worth the effort.

[imc.livejournal.com]

While I'm here…

Onion, EPC chopped chilies, a bit of garlic; diced peppers.
Minced beef; salt and pepper.
A box of passata or two cans of chopped tomatoes.
Lots of basil, a bit of oregano.
A tin of chili beans (i.e., red kidney beans with added chili sauce).
Extra chili powder if necessary according to taste.

And only two weeks late. :-)