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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Chili Con Carne Mexicana

This is an excellent chili. Having said that, I haven’t made this recipe since 1996, and before that, 1982. Perhaps as you do, I sometimes get stuck in a rut, making my favorite chili (posted Feb. 4, 2012) over and over. But when I recently promised to send a friend a great chili recipe for a pre-Christmas dinner party, this was the one that came to mind. 

“Different from most North American chilis, this is a mole” (pronounced moh-lay”) - a spicy meat dish made with chili peppers, their flavor softened with a little chocolate. In making this dish again last night, it was just as good as I remembered it. The recipe serves four, but doubles and quadruples well.


Chili Con Carne Mexicana:

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-in. pieces
2 c. coarsely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. (454 g) lean ground beef
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 c. tomato sauce
½ c. beer or ale
½ c. water
2 tbsp. chopped, canned green chili peppers
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 bay leaf, crumbled
¼ tsp. salt
One 19-oz. (540 mL) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
½ c. pitted, sliced, drained black olives (ripe” olives)
One 1-oz. (28 g) square semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. hot sauce
Sour cream, as garnish
Parsley, as garnish

In large, heavy skillet, stir-fry bacon over medium heat until soft and slightly browned. Add onion and garlic, continuing to fry 5 min. Stir in ground beef until no pink remains, breaking beef up as it cooks. Stir in chili powder, cooking 2 min. longer. Add tomato sauce, beer, water, canned peppers, cumin, bay leaf, and salt. Cook just until mixture boils; cover and reduce heat, simmering 1 hr. 

Add kidney beans, olives, chocolate, and hot sauce, stirring just until chocolate melts. Cover and cook 15 min. longer. Serves 4.

Fry bacon until soft and barely colored.

Add onions, garlic, and ground beef.

Add tomato sauce, beer, water, peppers, and seasonings.

Simmer, covered, 1 hr.

Stir in beans, chocolate ...

… Ripe olives, hot sauce.

Serve at once!

Tomorrow, another outstanding chili recipe - this one, made with top-grade stewing beef.

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