Beef Chilli con Carne

Ingredients

• 750 g beef mince
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp chipotle in adobo
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• 2 x 400 g tins of tomatoes
• 400 g tin kidney beans, drained
• 20 g dark chocolate
• 300 ml beef stock
• 2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Soften the vegetables

   Cook the onion and pepper in the oil until soft and lightly coloured.

   10 min

2. Brown the beef

   Turn the heat up and add the mince in batches, letting each get properly brown before stirring. Grey mince makes a thin, watery chilli.

   10 min

3. Bloom the spices

   Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, chipotle and cinnamon and fry for a minute until fragrant. The cinnamon is barely detectable on its own but rounds off the whole pot.

4. Simmer long

   Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to a bare simmer and cook uncovered until thick and darkened.

   1 h 30 min

5. Finish

   Stir in the beans and the chocolate and cook for another ten minutes. Season hard — chilli takes more salt than you expect. Better the next day.

   10 min