You will find here my versions of classic Mexican and Southwestern USA dishes. If you want authentic recipes using traditional ingredients then try my Hotlinks page where you'll find a host of cooking sites. My recipes are all made using ingredients that are readily available from the larger British supermarkets. So my recipes use a combination of good quality paprika and chile powder as a substitute for reconstituted dried chiles. Of course, that means you aren't getting the variety of tastes that come from the different types of dried chile but the end result is still pretty good.
Some recipes call for the dried chiles to be roasted first to bring out their flavour.
I get round this by frying the paprika and chile powder before adding any liquid. Other substitutions are noted in the recipes. Fortunately, you can now get a whole host of fresh chiles in the larger British supermarkets. If you like beans with your chili I'd recommend making some refried beans and serving them on the side. The beans in this recipe are the pretty mottled pink Pinto beans.