Chili con Carne

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 500 g kidney beans, dried or from the can
• 350 g beef, coarsely chopped
• 400 g tomatoes, peeled from a can or fresh peeled tomatoes
• 1 small can of corn (approx. 200 g)
• 500 ml meat broth or vegetable broth
• 150 ml coconut milk
• 60 g ginger
• 1 pepper, red
• 2 carrots
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 3 garlic cloves, without germ
• 120 g zucchini or eggplant
• 2 chili peppers, fresh or dried
• 160 g potatoes
• 20 g sea salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 sprig of oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 carnations
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 100 ml red wine

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

Tex-Mex

The term “Tex-Mex” is neither a trendy word nor a name for a Mexican restaurant. Tex-Mex dishes are primarily based on Mexican dishes with American influences. Soak dried beans the day before. Gather all ingredients. Peel all vegetables, remove seeds if necessary, and remove the sprouts from the garlic. Blanch and drain the soaked beans from the day before. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 cm cubes. Cook until almost tender. Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside. Chop the ginger and chili into very fine strips. Cut the carrots, peppers, and the remaining vegetables into small rectangles or strips. Crush the garlic. Combine the meat broth, coconut milk, and beans in a suitable roasting pan and simmer gently. Brown the meat in a little olive oil in a frying pan, seasoning just before cooking, then add the beans. Add the chopped vegetables, corn, and spices to the frying pan and lightly toast with the remaining olive oil. Be careful with the spices! Paprika and cumin don’t tolerate high heat and become bitter immediately. Deglaze with red wine and reduce slightly. Add everything to the beans. Cover the roasting pan and place it in the preheated oven. Cook the chili for 1 hour at 130°C. After an hour, reduce the temperature to 85°C (open the oven door slightly). Let the whole thing simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours. Add the potatoes half an hour before the end. Season to taste. The chili is cooked when the beans still have a slight bite. The chili tastes best reheated! If using canned beans, the cooking times stated above are not necessary. Follow the instructions above, but don’t add the beans yet. Reduce the liquid to your liking. The canned beans will already be cooked. When the minced beef and vegetables are cooked, add the beans and let everything simmer in the oven at 80°C for about 20 minutes. Vegetarians use soy granules instead of meat. After soaking, treat the soy like ground beef.