Chilli con carne

Most chilli con carnes that I have are under-spiced and lack depth. This is a drier mix that punches on flavours, well worth a try. Add or subtract whatever suits you, to taste.

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 500 beef mince (20% fat)

• 3 tbsp tomato paste

• 800g canned chopped tomatoes

• 400g canned red kidney beans, drained

• 2 beef stock cubes

• 1 tsp dark brown sugar

• 60 ml water

For the spice blend (stir to combine):

• 2 tsp cayenne pepper powder

• 4 tsp smoked paprika

• 5 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp monosodium glutamate
  

Method:

1. Add beef mince to a large pan over a medium heat until mostly browned.

2. Add onions, garlic, and red bell peppers, stir to combine and cook until softened and onions are translucent, a couple minutes.

3. Add the spice blend, stir to combine, and finish browning the mince. Keep things moving and don't allow the spices to burn.

4. Add tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, stock cubes, sugar, and water. I added mushrooms and sweetcorn, because they were leftover in the fridge.

5. Stir to combine and bring to a light simmer.

6. Transfer to a slow cooker on "low" for 6-8 hours. You can do this on the stovetop quicker, just add more water (~150ml total) and ensure it doesn't burn/stick to the pan.