Chilli con carne recipe | Jamie Oliver chilli recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is chilli con carne the same as chilli? ›

The dish known simply as Chili in the US and Canada is known as Chilli Con Carne here in Australia and in the UK. It looks like Bolognese and is cooked like Bolognese – except there's a load of Tex-Mex spices added.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large casserole pan on a medium-high heat, add the chopped veg, chilli powder, cumin, cinnamon and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then cook for 7 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly.

Tip to increase the flavour

Rather than add the teaspoon of sugar, you can stir in a small piece of chocolate (about the size of your thumbnail) when you add the beans. Any plain dark chocolate will do.

In this recipe, red wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock add depth of flavour and some sweetness, but you can also add a square or two of dark chocolate at the end. Also, browning the meat thoroughly will add lots of flavour (see the technique video at the bottom of the page for tips on how to brown meat).

Chili Con Carne, a.k.a. Texas Red

The chili that was invented in San Antonio is said to be a bowl of "red": tender, individual stewed chunks of beef swaddled in a spicy, cumin-spiked sauce made from red chiles, which lend the dish an appealing russet hue.

Stir some puréed pumpkin into your chili just after sautéing your aromatics (onions, garlic, etc...) and before adding any liquid. This will deepen and sweeten its flavor, making it a great balance for all the chile peppers and heat.

Cocoa powder, bacon, cinnamon, ground coffee and tomato paste will all add a rich sweet & salty flavors that are sure to surprise and delight. Warming spice blends, like Garam Masala, Ras el Hanout or Baharat are another simple and delicious way to add layered flavors to this simple one-pot meal.

The good news is there are lots of easy ways to thicken up your chili with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry— flour, cornmeal, pureed beans, cornstarch, or even crushed tortilla chips will help do the job, along with some good old extra simmering time.

Cumin has a shimmering warmth; it is earthy, nutty, and bitter, with hints of lemon to lift these deep characteristics. It is powerfully fragrant. When you put cumin in chili, it helps create a balanced palate. Its deep earthiness is brightened up by its lemony aspect.

Coffee. A cup of strong, brewed coffee will work wonders for your pot of chili, imparting a deep, roasted flavor that will make the chili taste like it simmered away all day long.

When to add peanut butter to chilli? ›

After 15 minutes, pour in the black beans and kidney beans; return to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter until dissolved, then remove and discard the bay leaves, and season the chili with salt and pepper to taste.

What primarily distinguishes Texas chili from other chili recipes you might find is a lack of beans, but it also doesn't feature any tomatoes. It is, largely, a ground beef dish that's seasoned with a spicy chili paste made of dried peppers.

So how do they differ? Well, besides the different chile peppers used, Texas chili is traditionally made without tomatoes, though you will find them in chile colorado. Likewise, fillers are verboten in Texas chili yet potatoes are welcome in chile colorado.

The name is Spanish and literally means "chilli peppers with meat", but it was originally an American Tex-Mex dish, not a Mexican dish as is often thought. What is chilli con carne?