Battle Of The Chefs - The Best Chilli Con Carne

Justin Bull and Paul Mercurio fight it out to take top honours in a family favourite - Chille Con Carne

Ingredients: (Serve 6)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium brown onion – peeled and diced

• 2 medium carrots – peeled and diced

• 2 sticks of celery – diced

• 2 cloves of garlic – peeled and chopped

• 1 small red chili – sliced

• 1 chorizo – diced

• 3 teaspoons each of cumin powder, coriander powder, smokey paprika powder

• 1 ½ teaspoons each oregano powder, Mexican chili powder

• 350g of pork mince

• 350g of beef mince

• 2 tablespoon of pickled jalapeno – chopped

• 1 tablespoon of the jalapeno pickling liquid

• 1 banana chili pepper – sliced

• 1 330 mil bottle Red Hill Weizenbock – Weissbock is a strong 7 - 9% German style wheat beer

• 1 440mil can chopped tomato

• 1 440 mil can kidney beans

• 1 cup of chopped green beans – 1 cm lengths

• 1 large zucchini - diced

• 1 fresh jalapeno – seeds removed – sliced

• Salt

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• ¼ cup fresh chopped coriander

• Extra fresh chopped coriander for garnish

Method:

Add the oil to a large casserole dish over medium heat and when hot add in the onion, carrots and celery and cook for about 8 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the chorizo and cook for another 5 minutes then add in the garlic and chili stirring through and cook for another 3 or so minutes.

Add in all the dry spices and cook stirring for several minutes until lovely and fragrant. Turn up the heat, add the meat and brown using a wooden spoon to break any lumps of the meat stirring to combine all the ingredients and flavours. Once the meat is brown add the pickled jalapeno, jalapeno juice, beer, canned tomato and the kidney beans. Stir and bring to the boil then turn down to a gentle simmer and simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes stirring every now and then.

Add the green beans, zucchini and the fresh Jalapeno and simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Lastly stir through coriander just before serving.

The Chili Con Carne should be thick and rich but not dry so if you need to add a little water to loosen it you can conversely it should not be too wet or soupy which is why I cook it without a lid.

Serve in bowls over a mix of basmati and jasmine rice and garnish each bowl with a little mashed avocado, a spoonful of sour cream and some chopped fresh coriander.

Ingredients:

• 1 x tsp ground cumin

• 1 x tsp ground coriander

• 1 x tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 x tsp smoked paprika

• coriander roots chopped (from 1 bunch)

• 4 x birds eye chilli, chopped

• 1 x 400gr can chick peas

• 1 x 420gr can red kidney beans

• 2 x red capsicum (roasted & seeded)

• 4 x long red chilli (roasted & seeded)

• 2 x long red peppers (roasted peeled & seeded)

• 1 x bulb garlic (roasted & flesh squeezed out)

• 500gr good quality beef mince

• 1 x large red onion (finely chopped)

• 1 x carrot (finely chopped)

• 1 x stick celery (finely chopped)

• 1 x bay leaf

• 2 x heaped tsp tomato puree

• 2 x cups stock ( beef or chicken)

• salt & pepper

• olive oil

• 1 bunch fresh coriander (garnish)

• 2 x fresh limes

• steamed rice (to serve)

• corn bread (optional)

• sliced cucumber (to serve)

Method:

In a food processor or blender blitz all the roasted peppers, chilli and capsicum to form a sauce, set aside.

In a large saucepan sweat off the onion, carrot & celery until they start to soften, add all the dried spices & keep cooking until they have released their aroma.

Pour the onion mixture on to a tray/plate & set aside.

In the same saucepan seal of the minced beef until browned.

Add the onion and spice mixture back to the beef.

Add the roasted pepper sauce, tomato puree, chopped birds eye chilli and bay leaf, simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the chick peas, kidney beans, roasted garlic pulp and stock.

Simmer this for a further 20-30 minutes on low heat until the sauce becomes slightly thickened

Add salt & pepper to taste

To serve place steamed rice in a bowl & serve the con carne mix to the side or on top

Add finely slice cucumber on top along with fresh coriander sprigs & the juice of 1/2 lime per serve

This dish goes great with a side of corn bread also (optional)

Note, if you like it "hot" leave the seeds in all the chilli’s & peppers, remove if you like it a little tamer.