Chili con Carne with meat and dried beans

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 800 g beef, cut into cubes
• 250 g onion(s), red
• 70 g spring onions
• 2 tbsp garlic, finely diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes (425g)
• 750 ml vegetable stock
• 1 pepper (jalapeno pepper), pitted
• 285 g kidney beans, dried
• ½ tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 1 ½ tsp caraway seeds, ground
• 1 tsp oregano, dried
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper, ground black
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
• Mozzarella, grated, to serve

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 50 minutes

Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the beef pieces, and fry briefly. In the meantime, peel the onions, halve them, and thinly slice them. Trim the spring onions and slice them into rings, using the green part if you like. Both can also be weighed ready-made. Peel and finely dice the garlic. Add the onions to the meat and sauté until translucent. Then add the spring onions, garlic, and tomato paste, sauté briefly while stirring, and deglaze with the can of tomatoes. Add the meat broth, add the chopped chili peppers, and the beans. Add the chili powder, cocoa, caraway seeds, oregano, and bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer gently with the lid on for about 2.5 hours, or until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally during cooking. Season the chili con carne with salt and pepper, arrange on plates, sprinkle with some cheese, and serve. It goes very well with a fresh baguette. You can, of course, also use a can of kidney beans and prepare the chili exactly as directed. Just add the drained and rinsed beans after about 2.5 hours of cooking time. About 5 minutes before they are ready, so they are just hot. You can also adjust the chili powder to your own taste. It’s better to use a little less at first; you can always add more later. If you like the chili especially hot, I even use 1 tablespoon of chili powder.