Chilli con Carne

Serves 15-20.

This is a fairly mild (2 chillis) to medium (4 chillis) chilli con carne and caters for different tastes. Those who like it really hot can add additional chillis or paste of Birds Eye Chillis.

1.5 - 2 kg beef mince (or a mix of pork and beef mince, e.g. half and half)
500 g potatoes, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
1 medium sized sweet potato, diced
1/2 small butternut squash, diced
500-750 g mixed peppers, cut into bite-size chunks
3 large onions, finely chopped
1 bulb garlic (or less, to taste), finely chopped
1/2 bunch celery, finely sliced
1/2 fennel, (optional) finely chopped
2-4 red chillis, finely chopped
2-3 tins of organic kidney beans (no salt or sugar added), drained and rinsed
4-5 tins of chopped tomatoes (a mix of tomatoes in tomato juice and tomatoes in thick sauce)
1/2 bottle of red wine
pepper
salt
2-3 tsp ground cumin
3-5 tsp Hungarian paprika (csemege or csípős csemege)
2-5 tsp ground chilli powder
olive oil
chopped fresh coriander to serve (optional)

1. Sauté onions, garlic, celery, fennel tops at a medium to low heat in olive oil for 5-10 nminutes to soften but not brown them.

2. Add the vegetables and sauté for a few more minutes until the vegetables are coated with the oil/onion/garlic mix.

3. Meanwhile brown the mince in a separate frying pan, if necessary in batches, seasoning it with pepper, salt and half the paprika.

4. Add add tomatoes and wine to the veg. Season and cook until the vegetables are almost ready. Now add the meat and cook for a little longer until the veggies ar soft but not mushy. Check the taste and add more seasoning as necessary.

5. Take off the heat, move the lid to allow the steam to escape. Reheat when ready to serve.

6. Serve with crusty bread, soured cream, paste of Birds Eye Chillis and optionally, freshly chopped chillis and chopped fresh coriander.

There's also a recipe for a vegetarian chilli on this blog.