Chilli [con carne] NYE Party
Discussion
As per our usual NYE we are having a few friends round for some serious drinking and a nice meal and I have been volunteered to do the cooking again. Instead of a formal meal this time, I am thinking of preparing a pot of Chilli [con carne] and cooking it in the slow cooker then letting people help themselves as and when along with some nice fluffy rice
I do have one problem though…I have never cooked Chilli before and I really want to cook a proper fresh Chilli
I have had a quick search and couldn’t find anything, so can anyone help with some good recipes
I do have one problem though…I have never cooked Chilli before and I really want to cook a proper fresh Chilli
I have had a quick search and couldn’t find anything, so can anyone help with some good recipes
Couple of things worth pointing out...
(1) Chilli is by no means at its best when fresh - it's much better having been left in the fridge for a day or two where the flavours can develop into something altogether more special.
(2) It's very filling. If serious drinking is planned, you'll probably find half of your guests are too bloated and fatigued to get into the beer monster mood - especially if it's a good chilli - who can say no to a good chilli?
(3) I couldn't imagine a worse substance, short of flubber, to clean up should anyone get themself into a state.
Honestly, I'd look at something else unless you're dishing up early, go for something lighter and then top up with snacks and tapas as the evening progresses.
That being said, it is one of the best foods ever, so who can blame you for wanting to cook it!
The 3 keys to a good chilli IMO is getting the spice mix right, getting the meat right, and getting the blend of flavours right. I tend to prefer mine pretty hot, so I use a mix of scotch bonnet, habanero and bird eye peppers. I've cooked with Naga / ghost peppers in there before and it was lovely, but too hot for some others.
I'll post my recipe up later on when I get a chance
(1) Chilli is by no means at its best when fresh - it's much better having been left in the fridge for a day or two where the flavours can develop into something altogether more special.
(2) It's very filling. If serious drinking is planned, you'll probably find half of your guests are too bloated and fatigued to get into the beer monster mood - especially if it's a good chilli - who can say no to a good chilli?
(3) I couldn't imagine a worse substance, short of flubber, to clean up should anyone get themself into a state.
Honestly, I'd look at something else unless you're dishing up early, go for something lighter and then top up with snacks and tapas as the evening progresses.
That being said, it is one of the best foods ever, so who can blame you for wanting to cook it!
The 3 keys to a good chilli IMO is getting the spice mix right, getting the meat right, and getting the blend of flavours right. I tend to prefer mine pretty hot, so I use a mix of scotch bonnet, habanero and bird eye peppers. I've cooked with Naga / ghost peppers in there before and it was lovely, but too hot for some others.
I'll post my recipe up later on when I get a chance
I can recommend Hestons chilli recipe. I did cook it the first time with the spiced butter but felt I was loading it up with butter to get the heat so now I cook it without butter (and marmite) but still add the rest of the spices which would go into the butter, into the pan. Hope that makes sense.
http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Heston's_Rich_chill...
http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Heston's_Rich_chill...
Heres my recipe for 'home made' chilli below.
Chillie Con Carne
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed1kg lean minced beef
250ml red wine
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato purée
2 red chillies, thinly sliced, or 3-4 tsp dried chilli flakes or Chilli powder.
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp of ground Oregano
1 Bay Leaf
1 good shake of Worcestershire sauce
1 beef stock cube
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 x 400g can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 large bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Several wedges of lime, to serve
Method
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Increase the heat and add the mince, cooking quickly until browned and breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon.
Pour in the red wine and boil for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, fresh chilli or chilli flakes, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and Worcestershire sauce and crumble in the stock cube.
Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened.4. Add the kidney beans and fresh coriander.
Cook for a further ten minutes, uncovered, before removing from the heat, adding any extra seasoning if necessary.
Serve with rice, guacamole, sour cream and a big green salad.
Tips: The chilli is much tastier a day or two after it's cooked because the flavours develop and the texture becomes richer. Simply leave to cool, stick in the fridge and gently heat before serving.
Chillie Con Carne
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed1kg lean minced beef
250ml red wine
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato purée
2 red chillies, thinly sliced, or 3-4 tsp dried chilli flakes or Chilli powder.
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp of ground Oregano
1 Bay Leaf
1 good shake of Worcestershire sauce
1 beef stock cube
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 x 400g can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 large bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Several wedges of lime, to serve
Method
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Increase the heat and add the mince, cooking quickly until browned and breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon.
Pour in the red wine and boil for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, fresh chilli or chilli flakes, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and Worcestershire sauce and crumble in the stock cube.
Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened.4. Add the kidney beans and fresh coriander.
Cook for a further ten minutes, uncovered, before removing from the heat, adding any extra seasoning if necessary.
Serve with rice, guacamole, sour cream and a big green salad.
Tips: The chilli is much tastier a day or two after it's cooked because the flavours develop and the texture becomes richer. Simply leave to cool, stick in the fridge and gently heat before serving.
Have a read through this 'Your best chilli' thread and make the Jailhouse Chilli - it's excellent.
toxicated said:
Have a read through this 'Your best chilli' thread and make the Jailhouse Chilli - it's excellent.
That Jailhouse Chilli may be a winner, not sure how the search didn't come up with that threadspdpug98 said:
toxicated said:
Have a read through this 'Your best chilli' thread and make the Jailhouse Chilli - it's excellent.
That Jailhouse Chilli may be a winner, not sure how the search didn't come up with that threadIf you're using Find under the Edit tab, you need to search each page in turn for 'jail'. It doesn't search the entire thread as a whole.
toxicated said:
Have a read through this 'Your best chilli' thread and make the Jailhouse Chilli - it's excellent.
Made this a few weeks ago after coming across the recipe on PH. Best Chilli I've had in a long time.Now that I have decided on the Jailhouse Chilli for tomorrow, I am thinking of throwing it all in the slow cooker tonight and letting it cook overnight and then re-heating tomorrow evening. Is this a good plan or should I just cook it tomorrow, I was hoping this would give it time to get the flavors flowing
I've made a couple of pans of chilli today. Not worth me posting my own. Basically it's very similar to jailhouse chilli that Mobile Chicane posted (which I hasten to add is stunning). BUT, from there I've tweaked it to my own tastes
- I fry the chuck steak at a very high temp before combining it [and it's lovely juices] with the mince.
- I don't use jalepenos, I use a couple of bird eyes, a scotch bonnet and a habanero, and use about half as much chilli powder
- I add a teaspoon of marmite and a couple of squares of 85% cocoa choccy, a tablespoon of paprika, and a can of kidney beans (I know!)
- I add a spoonful of tabasco sauce and a spoonful of tomato puree
- I fry the chuck steak at a very high temp before combining it [and it's lovely juices] with the mince.
- I don't use jalepenos, I use a couple of bird eyes, a scotch bonnet and a habanero, and use about half as much chilli powder
- I add a teaspoon of marmite and a couple of squares of 85% cocoa choccy, a tablespoon of paprika, and a can of kidney beans (I know!)
- I add a spoonful of tabasco sauce and a spoonful of tomato puree
Stopped off at a pub on the way back from picking a mate up from Stansted today. He had the beef burger and chips and said it was pretty good.
I on the other hand went for the chilli. Unfortunately mine must have got mixed up with someone else's order for minced mutton in tomato sauce accompanied by a few kidney beans.
I on the other hand went for the chilli. Unfortunately mine must have got mixed up with someone else's order for minced mutton in tomato sauce accompanied by a few kidney beans.
spdpug98 said:
Now that I have decided on the Jailhouse Chilli for tomorrow, I am thinking of throwing it all in the slow cooker tonight and letting it cook overnight and then re-heating tomorrow evening. Is this a good plan , I was hoping this would give it time to get the flavors flowing
pacman1 said:
Unfortunately mine must have got mixed up with someone else's order for minced mutton in tomato sauce accompanied by a few kidney beans.
I have yet to get a good chilli in a pub. At work, they had chilli on a few weeks ago, which I said "how can they get that wrong"... Well it tasted of meat, a little tomato, and a few beans, like what you got! I don't think most people have a clue that is should have taste, spice, depth, and kick!Use Pinto Beans is my tip, as kidney beans can go hard during the cooking.
Shaw Tarse said:
spdpug98 said:
Now that I have decided on the Jailhouse Chilli for tomorrow, I am thinking of throwing it all in the slow cooker tonight and letting it cook overnight and then re-heating tomorrow evening. Is this a good plan , I was hoping this would give it time to get the flavors flowing
off to the kitchen thensmack said:
pacman1 said:
Unfortunately mine must have got mixed up with someone else's order for minced mutton in tomato sauce accompanied by a few kidney beans.
I have yet to get a good chilli in a pub. At work, they had chilli on a few weeks ago, which I said "how can they get that wrong"... Well it tasted of meat, a little tomato, and a few beans, like what you got! I don't think most people have a clue that is should have taste, spice, depth, and kick!Use Pinto Beans is my tip, as kidney beans can go hard during the cooking.
Problem with pubs, especially this time of year, is that dishes like cottage/shepherds pie, chilli and curry is where they recycle all their leftover roasting meat. Exactly why I didn't go for the turkey curry...
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff