Chili con Carne - Simple Recipe
The simplest and tastiest chili con carne recipe that has been my companion in recent weeks. It is not a 100% authentic recipe, because one day, not having tomato paste, I replaced it with Piros Arany pepper paste. And the result was so successful, tastier and creamier, that it became our favorite. And using canned cherry tomatoes made it more appealing. A bowl made for autumn evenings.
Ingredients
500 g ground beef (I prefer to use meat from organic burgers or meat I grind myself - including some beef chuck)
1 can cherry tomatoes (400 g; or diced tomatoes)
1 medium onion
1 red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili flakes (I used guajillo)
1 teaspoon chili powder (or sweet paprika if you do not want it too spicy)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon sweet pepper paste (Piros Arany tube, or substitute with tomato paste)
2 tablespoons oil
salt, black pepper
Servings: 3 (without side dish) or 4 (with side dish)
How to prepare chili con carne - simple recipe
- Heat the oil and add the onion and bell pepper chopped into small cubes. Reduce heat to low and saute, stirring occasionally until the vegetables soften (about 10 minutes), without letting them brown. Add the crushed garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add the ground beef broken into pieces and saute over high heat this time, stirring frequently while pressing with a spoon to break the meat into smaller pieces.
- When the meat is no longer pink at all, add the seasonings (from cumin to bay leaves) and stir for 30 seconds to combine well.
- Add the sweet pepper paste and stir again for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with salt and pour the entire can of tomatoes into the pot. Stir briefly, then fill the can with water (or chicken/beef broth) and pour into the pot. Grind black pepper and stir just a few more times.
- When the contents of the pot come to a boil, reduce heat to low and put the lid on slightly ajar. Let it simmer for 45 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, remove the lid to let the sauce reduce a bit.
- Serve with yogurt, pickled jalapeno, and pico de gallo.
