How to cook perfect chilli con carne | Life and style | The Guardian How to cook the perfect ... How to cook perfect chilli con carne Does the British version of chilli con carne have its own merits, or is it an affront to one of the American southwest's proudest pieces of culinary heritages? Felicity's perfect chilli con carne. Photograph: Felicity Cloake for the Guardian Share on Messenger Close Chilli is one of a select coterie of dishes we've really taken to our greedy hearts in this country, even going so far as to honour it with a full culinary makeover (see also spag bol , guacamole and green curry ). In these islands, "chilli con carney" (which always makes me think of those ineffably cool, invariably grizzled men who operated the Waltzers of my youth) is traditionally served bursting out of microwaved baked potatoes, or in a neat pile atop a ring of basmati rice, like so much minced meat curry. Kidney beans and copious amounts of cayenne obligatory. So far, so – well, delicious.

It wasn't until I visited the States that I realised that we'd given this iconic south-western dish the full British lasagne and chips treatment – chilli has a proud heritage in that part of the world, and it doesn't often involve a jar endorsed by Loyd Grossman. The International Chili Society , an organisation devoted to the "promotion, development and improving of the preparation and appreciation of true chilli", observes that ever since "the second person on earth mixed some chile peppers with meat and cooked them, the great chilli debate was on … the desire to brew up the best bowl of chilli in the world is exactly that old". Although, as they generously allow, the combination of meat and peppers is almost as old as cooking itself, the ICS's official history of chilli credits the emergence of the modern bowl of "red" to southwestern cattle drivers, who subsisted on the raw ingredients they found along the trail. (Those ingredients, you may well observe, are unlikely to have included cardamom pods, or Marmite or any of the other strange things we do to chilli in this country.) The original Cowboy chilli.

Photograph: Felicity Cloake for the Guardian Although striving for "authenticity" with a chilli con carne strikes me as an outrageous betrayal of its rough and ready, mestizo roots, I decide my quest really ought to start with the most basic, stripped-back version of the dish, as might feasibly have been knocked up by generations of cowboys under the stars, and as told to the luminaries of the International Chili Society by a few "old-timers" at a "Texican" bar in Marfa, Texas. The freshly-killed beef would have been tough, so I use chuck steak, cut up "into pieces about the size of a pecan". It goes into the pot along with suet, salt and "the same amount of wild onions, garlic, oregano and chiles as meat". (In the absence of any wild onions in north London, I use large salad onions.) This is then cooked until the meat "is as tender as you think it's going to get".

It's a recipe simpler than any to grace a jar of sauce, so I'm not expecting much from it, but, although the dish is utterly unlike anything I'd recognise as chili, after two hours, the combination of slightly caramelised beef, chilli, and blackened onions is undeniably delicious on a warm corn tortilla. Those cowboys sure knew what they were doing. The Chilli Queens Chilli Queen chilli. Photograph: Felicity Cloake for the Guardian Interesting as this diversion into American history has been, the chilli I seek seems to have arrived on the scene somewhat later, in the company of the Chilli Queens of San Antonio – Mexican women who sold homemade, highly spiced stews from carts "to a cadre of customers who rode in from all over the prairies to singe their tonsils". The cut and thrust of competition between the queens was, the ICS suggests, the making of the dish, as each strove to outdo the others in attracting the hungry punters. The queens are no more, but the Institute of Texan Cultures has published one of their recipes, "slightly adapted for shopping convenience".

I flour chuck steak and pork shoulder, and throw them into a hot pot with an over-generous amount of both dripping and lard. Once they've browned, I add onions and garlic, and while these soften, I'm busy grinding chillies – ancho, serrano and "dried red" ones – which I've tracked all over town, with cumin seeds and Mexican oregano. I tip this rough powder (the chilli queens sound like pretty rustic cooks) into the pot along with salt and water, and leave it all to simmer for 2 hours. The meat is melting and unctuous, and the spicing surprisingly subtle given the number and variety of peppers involved, but I miss the beans (the recipe explicitly prohibits the addition of frijoles) and it doesn't seem like chilli without mince. Good use of spice, but there's a way to go yet. The devotee Joe Cooper's chilli. Photograph: Felicity Cloake for the Guardian Journalist Joe Cooper was probably the original chillihead, as fans like to refer to themselves.

In 1952 he distilled a lifetime devoted "to the study of chilli" as the ICS has it, into the definitive book on the subject (With or Without Beans, available secondhand for $247 on amazon.com), which includes his own recipe ("Maybe not the best ever, but one which satisfies the Coopers' appetites"). I fry lean minced beef over a high heat until grey and with the texture of "whole grain hominy" (at a guess), then add a quart of water and cook at a bubbling simmer for 2 hours. It's not looking terribly promising by the time I stir in the bay leaves, garlic, cumin, oregano, red and black pepper, sugar and paprika, but after half an hour, things are smelling distinctly more familiar – and utterly beguiling. In goes the thickener – cornmeal in my case, as I have next to no idea what the apparently more convenient cracker meal might be – and a little more water to loosen, and Joe's chilli is ready to serve.

It's still a bit dry, and the cornflour has given what sauce there is a slightly grainy texture, but the texture of the meat is a revelation: slow-cooking mince transforms it into something quite, quite wonderful. Still no beans though. The Spanish Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall chilli. Photograph: Felicity Cloake for the Guardian Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall also has an aversion to good old British "napalm bolognese", and his recipe in the River Cottage Meat Book attempts to "restore some dignity to the dish", even if, as he freely admits, it doesn't aspire to "aboriginal correctness". As well as mince, he includes pork shoulder and chorizo, plus a cinnamon stick, in an apparent nod to the dish's Mexican heritage. Most notably, however, this, the first British recipe I try, is also the first to include tomatoes, as well as stock: water seems more usual in the dish's homeland.

My flatmate approves of the "lumpy, bumpy texture" that the different meats give the dish, but it's hard to see what the pork shoulder adds here in terms of flavour: in fact, everything, tomatoes, cinnamon and all, just tastes of chorizo. And, much as we all love chorizo, it doesn't seem right in a chilli. The chocolatey Nigella chilli. Photograph: Felicity Cloake for the Guardian Nigella is never a lady to leave a lily ungilded, so I barely raise an eyebrow at the cocoa powder in her recipe – after all, chocolate is a key ingredient in Mexican moles, so it's hardly as fanciful as the cardamom pods, an Indian spice which seems to pop up in just about everything she cooks. The cocoa adds a certain richness to the dish, but any earthiness is knocked on the head by the three kinds of tomato she sticks in there: tinned, pureed and … ketchup. It's a bit boring to be honest, but the fluffy cornbread topping, with its cinnamon and honey, wins much praise among my chilli committee. Chilli con Jamie Jamie Oliver chilli.

Photograph: Felicity Cloake for the Guardian One of the dishes that made a particular impression on me on Jamie's American road trip was his cowboy chilli, which uses brisket, simmered long and very slow in smoky chillies and paprika, muscovado sugar and coffee, until it can be pulled apart with a fork. The finished stew looks like something from my favourite burrito van, complete with peppers, and I love the campfire flavour of the spices and the coffee, but I'm perplexed by his decision to stick 2 tins of tomatoes in there too – they completely change the character of the dish. After leaving it in the fridge overnight, I get a text the next day from my flatmate's boyfriend asking if it was, in fact, chilli because "it reminded me of pulled pork." Perfect chilli Felicity's perfect chilli con carne. Photograph: Felicity Cloake for the Guardian Tradition may frown upon it, but I think chilli works best with minced meat – that yielding texture, reminiscent of wholesome hominy grits, is as much a part of my conception of the dish as the slightly mealy beans that bulk it out.

I'm adding smoky spice and coffee, like Jamie, and a generous level of garlic, as a nod to the basic recipe, but the overall character of my chilli owes much to both the Chilli Queens and James E Cooper, stripped of tomatoes, but heavy on peppers and aromatic oregano. An Anglo-Texican hybrid, if you like – and just the thing for a jacket potato. (NB: the chillies and Mexican oregano are available to order online if you can't find them in the real world.) Serves 6-8 Beef dripping or vegetable oil, to fry 1kg mince 5 cloves of garlic, minced 500ml freshly brewed coffee 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted 1 tbsp Mexican oregano 1 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar 2 tsp chilli powder, or to taste 2 fresh long green chillies 400g cooked kidney beans 1. Heat the fat in a large, heavy-bottomed pan on a high heat, then brown the mince in batches, stirring regularly: don't crowd the pan, or it will steam rather than brown. Add the onions and stir fry briefly, until slightly browned. 2.

Turn the heat down and add the garlic. Stir and cook until the onion has completely softened, then add the coffee and a generous pinch of salt and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. 3. Meanwhile, cut the stalks off the dried chillies and take out the seeds. Grind together in a pestle and mortar with rock salt and the roasted cumin seeds. Stir in the oregano and chilli powder. 4. Add the spices to the pan along with the sugar fresh chillies and simmer, partially covered, for another half hour, adding a little water if it seems dry, or you prefer a saucier chilli. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add the beans, taste, and adjust the seasoning and spicing if necessary. If possible, leave overnight and reheat to serve. Does the British version of chilli con carne have its own merits, or is it an affront to one of the southwest's proudest pieces of culinary heritages? Do tomatoes add anything to the dish – and what about the vexed question of beans? And what do you serve it with: rice, tortillas, or a big plate of chips?

Chilli Con Carne | RecipeTin Eats Chilli Con Carne By Nagi 76 Comments Known as just “Chili” in the US, Chilli Con Carne is a classic recipe that everyone should know! It’s made with beef cooked in tomato flavoured broth with paprika, cumin and chilli powder. I like to make mine with a thick luscious sauce – and plenty of it too! Fabulous served on rice, in baked potato, with cornbread, hot dogs (oooh yes!!!), as a pie filling, nachos topping and even tossed through pasta. If you search the internet, which I have done because I’m a food nerd, you will find much controversy about Chilli Con Carne. Firstly, it’s known simply as “Chili” in the States whereas in Australia, UK and much of the rest of the world, it’s known as Chilli Con Carne. Secondly, while Texans claim it as their own (even going as far as legally making it the official dish of Texas!!!!), it seems there is evidence that traces the origins of Chilli Con Carne back to Spain.

(For fellow food nerds, here is some nice reading material on the History and Legends of Chili from What’s Cooking America ). Thirdly, die-hard Texan Chili cults will tell you that it’s illegal to add beans into Chili. They’ll also tell you that there’s no canned tomato in Chili (really!), it’s made with cubes of beef (not mince/ground beef) and that it needs to be made using whole dried chilis, rehydrated then pureed. Here is a good authentic Texan Chili recipe that I have tried, if you are so inclined to give the real thing a go. This isn’t a hardcore Texan Chili. Because actually, the version that breaks all the “real” Texan Chili rules is the one that is more familiar to most. A certain friend of mine who shall remain unnamed saw these photos on my Mac and exclaimed “Yum! You’re sharing your Bolognese recipe!”. I gasped with horror and indignantly said “It’s CHILLI CON CARNE. Not Bolognese!”. To which she came right back and defensively said, “Well it LOOKS like Bolognese”. I paused. Damn. I hate it when I lose.

OK, so it does look like Bolognese. Same colour, same saucy consistency, same rich red sauce. But the flavour is very different. Chilli Con Carne starts the same way as Bolognese but is flavoured with a handful of spices including paprika, cumin and (this one will shock you) chilli. So it might look like Bolognese, but it tastes nothing like it. Promise. If you make this and think it tastes like Bolognese, I will…..hmm. What’s a suitable punishment? Oh, I know! I’ll be Vegan for a month. Cruel and unusual torture for a meat eating, cheese obsessed Carb Monster. – Nagi x PS I’ve also shared my Shredded Beef Chilli Con Carne . It takes longer to make because the beef has to be slow cooked so it can be shredded. Patience is worth it, it is so good! PPS For those that are curious, “Chilli Con Carne” is pronounced Chilli Con Carney. So drawl out that “eeee”….like a Texan!

PPPS (Last one, I promise) Americans reading this might ask: “No chili powder in Chili?” That’s right. No Chili Powder. Because what is sold in America as “Chili Powder” is not just Chili, it has other flavourings. Chili powder in most of the rest of the world is just pure ground chili. So to ensure consistent outcome of results, I use cayenne pepper or pure ground chili powder. 4.9 from 13 reviews Chilli Con Carne – Delliecious July 3, 2016 Chilli con carne is seen as a quick, boring dish, and is often reduced to some onions and meat swimming around in a pool of shop-bought sauce. Well I, for one, refuse to subscribe to this stereotype anymore! Whilst chilli con carne is quick and easy to make, it is such a versatile dish, and can be a really tasty meal for adults and children alike. Like myself, this dish isn’t very photographic, but it is tasty. So here’s my recipe, which serves approximately 4-6, and can take under an hour to prep and cook.

Ingredients: 500g minced beef, or beef chunks 1 large onion (or 2 medium onions etc.) 3 peppers I personally prefer long, red sweet peppers, however I decided to include a yellow and green bell pepper for added colour. 2 chillies (Anaheim, jalapeño, chipotle, cayenne or bird’s eye chillies also work well) For a spicier chilli, try a few habanero chilli peppers. 2 fresh tomatoes ½ a teaspoon of marjoram 1 teaspoon of oregano 1 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon of ground cumin 1 teaspoon of ground coriander 2-3 teaspoons of paprika (I prefer smoked paprika) ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon 1 teaspoon of black pepper 400g chopped tomato 1 heaped teaspoon of tomato purée 400g can of kidney beans I like my chilli con carne packed with beans. As I’m cooking for my mum, I only added 1 can of beans: if I was cooking this for myself, I would also add a can of black beans and a can of pinto beans, but you can add whatever beans you prefer.

200-300ml of beef stock 2 cubes of dark chocolate Oil for frying Chop the onions, chillies and peppers and fry for 2-3 minutes. Finely chop the garlic and fry for another 2-3 minutes. I add the garlic at a later stage as it is chopped more finely and is at risk of burning: burnt garlic is very bitter. When the onion begins to turn translucent, add the spices and fry for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the beef and fry until browned. Then, add the fresh tomatoes. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the tomato purée. Always add the chopped tomato first! This way, you can see how much stock you need; you don’t want a watery chili con carne. I start off mixing 100ml of beef stock and adding it, then if it is still too thick I add some more water. Then, add the beef stock. Bring to the boil, and add the beans. Add the chocolate! The secret ingredient! I’m surprised at how few people know this trick.

The chocolate adds the much needed sweetness to the dish (along with the cinnamon) to balance out the bitterness of the tomatoes, and helps create a rich flavour. Remember, you can always add more chocolate, but you can’t take it away! Too much chocolate causes the chilli to be bitter. I’d recommend any cheap, dark chocolate, but make sure it’s about 70% cocoa. Reduce to a low heat, and leave the cook with the lid on for about 30 minutes. If you’re making this with beef chunks, this will need to be at least an hour to make sure the beef is tender. I’d recommend really slow cooking the beef for 2-3 hours though, to make it really tender. Also, add the beans at a later stage. Et voilà! This can be served over potato wedges, nachos, jacket potatoes or salad, with rice or mash, or simply on its own with a good spoon of guacamole and sour cream. You can also make this dish vegetarian by removing the meat and adding more beans, peppers and other vegetables, and make it kid-friendly by removing the chillies and cayenne pepper.

Share this: Chilli Con Carne recipe | The Taste of Aussie The Taste of Aussie Bringing the best recipes to you Search for: [toc] A bowl of chilli con carne and tortilla chips Chilli con carne, commonly known in American English as simply “chilli”, is a spicy stew containing chilli peppers, meat (usually beef), and often tomatoes and beans. Other seasonings may include garlic, onions, and cumin. Variations, both geographic and personal, involve different types of meat and ingredients. Recipes provoke disputes among aficionados, some of whom insist that the word “chilli” applies only to the basic dish, without beans and tomatoes. Origins and History In Spanish, the word chile from the Nahuatl “chīlli” refers to a “chilli pepper”, and carne is Spanish for “meat”. The original recipe consisted of dried beef, suet, dried chilli peppers and salt, which were pounded together, formed into bricks and left to dry, which could then be boiled in pots on the trail. The San Antonio Chilli Stand, in operation at the 1893 Colombian Exposition in Chicago, helped people taste and appreciate chilli.

San Antonio was a tourist destination and helped Texas-style chilli con carne spread throughout the South and West. Chilli con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas as designated by the House Concurrent Resolution Number 18 of the 65th Texas Legislature during its regular session in 1977. Chilli Parlours Before World War II, hundreds of small, family-run chilli parlours (also known as “chilli joints”) could be found throughout Texas and other states, particularly those in which émigré Texans had made new homes. Each establishment usually had a claim to some kind of secret recipe. As early as 1904, chilli parlours were opening outside of Texas. After working at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, Charles Taylor opened a chilli parlour in Carlinville, Illinois, serving “Mexican Chilli”. In the 1920s and 1930s chains of diner-style “chilli parlours” grew up in the Midwest. Cincinnati-style chilli arguably represents the most vibrant continuation of the chilli parlour tradition, with dozens of restaurants offering this style throughout the Cincinnati area.

It can be traced back to at least 1922, when the original Empress Chilli location opened. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, the chilli parlour Chilli John’s has existed since 1913. As with Cincinnati chilli, it is most commonly served over spaghetti with oyster crackers, but the recipe is less sweet with a higher proportion of fat. The original proprietor’s son opened a second location in Burbank in 1946, which is also still in existence. Until the late 2000s, a chilli parlour dating to 1904, O.T. Hodge, continued to operate in St. Louis. It featured a chilli-topped dish called a “slinger”: two cheeseburger patties, hash browns, and two eggs, and smothered in chilli. As of 2014 no O.T. Hodge-branded locations remain, though one still exists under the name Chilli Mac’s. One of the best-known Texas chilli parlours, in part because of its downtown location and socially connected clientele, was Bob Pool’s “joint” in Dallas, across the street from the headquarters of the elite department store Neiman Marcus.

Stanley Marcus, president of the store, frequently ate there. He also bought Pool’s chilli to send by air express to friends and customers across the country. Several members of General Dwight Eisenhower’s SHAPE staff during the early 1950s were reported to have arranged regular shipments of chilli from Pool’s to their Paris quarters. Ingredients for chilli con carne A bowl of Texas-style chilli without beans Controversy Over Ingredients Beans Beans, a staple of Tex-Mex cuisine , have been associated with chilli as far back as the early 20th century. The question of whether beans “belong” in chilli has been a matter of contention among chilli cooks for a long time. While it is generally accepted that the earliest chillies did not include beans, proponents of their inclusion contend that chilli with beans has a long enough history so as to not be considered “inauthentic.” The Chilli Appreciation Society International specified in 1999 that, among other things, cooks are forbidden to include beans in the preparation of chilli for official competition—nor are they allowed to marinate any meats.

“Texas-style chilli” may or may not contain beans and may even be made without other vegetables whatsoever besides chilli peppers. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s favourite chilli recipe became known as “Pedernales River chilli” after the location of his Texas Hill Country ranch. It calls for eliminating the traditional beef suet (on Johnson’s doctor’s orders, after Johnson suffered a heart attack while he was Senate Majority Leader) and adds tomatoes and onions. Johnson preferred venison, when available, to beef, as Hill Country deer are leaner than most beef. Lady Bird Johnson, the First Lady, had the recipe printed on cards to be mailed out because of the many thousands of requests the White House received for it. In some areas, specifically the American South, versions with beans are referred to as “chilli beans” while the term “chilli” is reserved for the all-meat dish. Small red beans are commonly used for chilli, as are black-eyed peas, kidney beans, great northern beans, or navy beans. Chilli bean can refer to a small red variety of common bean also known as the pink bean.

The name may have arisen from that bean’s resemblance to small chilli peppers, or it may be a reference to that bean’s inclusion in chilli recipes. Most commercially prepared canned chilli includes beans. Commercial chilli prepared without beans is usually called “chilli no beans” in the United States. Some U.S. manufacturers, notably Bush Brothers and Company and Eden Organic, also sell canned precooked beans (without meat) that are labeled “chilli beans”; these beans are intended for consumers to add to a chilli recipe and are often sold with spices added. Tomatoes Tomatoes are another ingredient on which opinions differ. Wick Fowler, north Texas newspaperman and inventor of “Two-Alarm Chilli” (which he later marketed as a “kit” of spices), insisted on adding tomato sauce to his chilli — one 15-oz. can per three pounds of meat. He also believed that chilli should never be eaten freshly cooked but refrigerated overnight to seal in the flavour.

Matt Weinstock, a Los Angeles newspaper columnist, once remarked that Fowler’s chilli “was reputed to open eighteen sinus cavities unknown to the medical profession.” Variations Pot of chilli sin carne Vegetarian Chilli Vegetarian Chilli (also known as chilli sin carne, chilli without meat, chilli non carne, and chilli sans carne) acquired wide popularity in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s with the rise of vegetarianism. It is also popular with those on a diet restricting the use of red meat. To make the chilli vegetarian, the cook leaves out the meat or replaces it with a meat analogue, such as textured vegetable protein or tofu, or a starchy vegetable, such as potatoes. These chillies nearly always include beans. Variants may contain corn, squash, mushrooms, or beets. Chilli Verde Chilli Verde (green chilli) is a moderately to extremely spicy New Mexican cuisine stew or sauce usually made from chunks of pork that have been slow-cooked in chicken broth, garlic, tomatillos, and roasted green chillies. Tomatoes are rarely used.

The spiciness of the chilli is adjusted with poblano, jalapeño, serrano, and occasionally habanero peppers. Chilli verde is a common filling for the Mission burrito. White Chilli White Chilli is made using white beans and turkey meat or chicken breast instead of a tomato-based sauce and red meat (beef). The resulting dish appears white when cooked. Chilli Con Carne Recipe Chile, Chili, or Chilli? What's the Correct Spelling? Chile, Chili, or Chilli? What's the Correct Spelling? Posted in Articles on July 19th, 2012 by Josh Winn Tweet When talking about the hot pepper of the Capsicum family or the spicy meat stew, you may find that everyone seems to be using a different spelling for the word. That's because there is no right answer to this question, though I would say that one is more wrong than the others. The dictionary is of very little help, giving several alternate spellings of the word. So which version should you use in your writing? In the process of researching and writing this article, I'm trying to set my own standard, rather than having to choose a spelling at random.

There are preferred spellings in certain geographic areas, for different reasons. The Origins of the Word “Chilli” In Mesoamerican, the native language of the Aztecs was Nahuatl. This has been spoken since at least 7th century AD. This was not known to be a written language. When Spaniards romanized (latinised) the word for these newly discovered spicy fruits, the word they used was chilli. Is this one of earliest references to the white chile? On the left is the cover to the Spanish publication (Mexico 1615), and the right, a page from the original Latin. As this article at SpiceLines mentions, one of the earliest written references to this word is in a book by Francisco Hernández de Toledo, originally written in Latin, and published in Mexico in 1615. Francisco was a physician and botanist, who embarked on a scientific mission to study medicinal plants in the New World, by order of King Phillip II. Thanks to the wonders of Google Books and a scanned copy from Harvard College Library, this text can be viewed and searched for free.

“Cuatro libros de la naturaleza y virtudes medicinales de las plantas y animales de la Nueva España”, or “Four books of nature and medicinal virtues of the plants and animals of the new Spain”. There are a few references to “arbol chilli”. The transcription may be slightly off here: CAP. X. Del Arbol Qvellaman Holquahuitl, O arbol chilli.

Deste arbol llamado holquahuitl, se hallan dos generos, el vno produze el tronco lico leonado, lleno de vn meollo, lento y pegajoso, las flores blancas, y las ojas muy grandes, y que tienen vnas glouos redondos a manera de estrellas, que de rubios tiran arrojos, pegados al mismo tronco llenos de fruto blanco del tamaño de avellanas cubicrtas con vnas telillas amarillos, y de sabor amargo, el otro tiene las ojas de naranjo, pero mayores, la corteza de ambos arboles es amarga.” Using an online translator and taking a look at the original drawing, this appears to be talking about the small white (Peruvian) habanero. It is described as a white fruit about the size of a hazelnut. Perhaps you Spanish and Latin-fluent botanists could provide confirmation there... This “chilli” spelling is the most common in the UK and in India. Adicto a Los Chiles But, in present-day Mexico, the Spanish word has transformed into “chile”.

Note that while this is also the spelling of the South American country, that has an entirely unrelated origin and meaning. This spelling has bled over into the United States and is perhaps the most common form here. This is the spelling that feels the most “right” to me; even though it is a loanword that isn’t pronounced like it reads. So when referring to the capsicum pepper pods, both chile and chilli are valid, whether you side with the original romanization, or the eventual spelling by the people living in its place of origin. The Stew: Chili Con Carne The word “Chili” on the other hand, has become the generally accepted spelling in the United States for the beef dish, Chili con carne. Chili cook-offs, festivals, and competitions are a big deal across the USA. Everyone wants to have the best chili in their respective city or state. Texas has a particular affinity for the stuff, and even signed a resolution making it the official state dish. I would reserve this spelling for this dish only, to avoid unnecessary confusion and the wrath of grammar-conscious chili chefs. It doesn’t feel right to me either.

According to the dictionary, it’s not entirely wrong, and you can see this popularized in a certain red hot band with a sick bass player. Get On With It! So, in the end, what I've decided to use is: Chile - The pepper. "The small red hot-tasting pod of a type of capsicum used for flavouring sauces, pickles, etc", especially when referring to peppers coming from Mexico and South America. Chilli - Alternate spelling for the capsicum pepper, especially in the context of the U.K. and India. International English-speakers are keen on this, so do not be afraid of this spelling. Chili - Chili con carne - The "A Mexican-style dish made with chiles or chile powder, ground or diced beef, chopped onion and pepper, and usually kidney beans and tomatoes." Personally, I can't decide whether I prefer "chile" or "chilli" here in the USA. I continue to alternate between the two spellings on this site. chili con carne - WordReference.com Dictionary of English chili con carne [links] ⓘ One or more forum threads is an exact match of your searched term. Click here .

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2016 chil•i (or chil•e) con car•ne/ˈtʃɪli kɑn ˈkɑrni/USA pronunciation n. [ uncountable ] Fooda spicy dish made with beef, chilies or chili powder, tomatoes, and beans. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2016 chil•i con car•ne (chil′ē kon kär′nē),USA pronunciation Fooda Mexican-style dish made with chilies or chili powder, ground or diced beef, chopped onion and pepper, and usually kidney beans and tomatoes. Also, chile con carne. Also called chile, chili, chilli.

Spanish chile con carne chili with meat 'chili con carne' also found in these entries: chilli con carne - WordReference.com Dictionary of English chilli con carne Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: chilli con carne /kɒn ˈkɑːnɪ/ n a highly seasoned Mexican dish of meat, onions, beans, and chilli powder Etymology: from Spanish chile con carne chilli with meat Forum discussions with the word(s) "chilli con carne" in the title: No titles with the word(s) "chilli con carne". How to eat: chilli con carne | Life and style | The Guardian How to eat How to eat: chilli con carne This month we’re tackling that cowboy classic, chilli con carne. Do you use brisket or mince? Serve it with guacamole or salsa? Is it righteous over rice or perfect on potato? And who in their right mind would scatter it with fresh coriander or serve it over (soggy) nachos? As for refried beans, can we at least agree that they are banned?

Chilli con carne: correctly served on rice, but missing the required toppings – and what is that side salad all about? Photograph: Cultura/Diana Miller/Getty Images Share on Messenger Close Saddle up, Word of Mouth ! This month, How to Eat – the blog attempting to define the ideal way to enjoy Britain’s favourite dishes – is moseying on down the trail, crossing from Texas into Mexico in order to settle, once and for all, what constitutes the ultimate chilli con carne. The International Chili Society insists that this cannot be done. “From the time the second person on Earth mixed some chile peppers with meat and cooked them, the great chilli debate was on; more of a war, in fact,” proclaims its website. But what do they know? Being American, they can’t even spell “chilli”. And, clearly, they have never encountered How to Eat, where, each month, after the moderators have sieved out the threats of violence and the dust has settled, a nation invariably comes together as one and, smiling wryly to itself, admits: “You know what? That weird, bald fella who writes How To Eat?

He was right.”* So, without further ado, let’s get to rustling up the perfect chilli. *This may be a slight exaggeration. Subs, could you check back and make sure that I am always right? Cheers. Base How low can you go? Jacket potato, that is how low. Or chips. Or even mash. Like Paul McCartney and Kanye West, “potatoes” and “chilli” are two individually brilliant things which, when brought together, produce something deeply unpalatable. Texturally, it is all wrong. When combined, minced meat, beans and potato morph into an unedifying slop, both lumpy and granular, that feels far too filling. You need crampons, not a spoon, to conquer this rapidly solidifying, stodge-mountain of carbs, meat and thick sauce. No, there is a reason why white (longer grain, eg basmati) rice is the go-to chilli accompaniment. That is because in its light, clean, toothsome blandness, it is the perfect palate-cleansing foil for that relatively heavy meat sauce. Unlike potato, rice takes on a coating of sauce, but does not become waterlogged by it.

You can play around with wild rice etc, but please do not pretend that using brown rice is a nutty new taste sensation. Serving anything on brown rice is like being forced to eat from a hessian sack full of sawdust. Rice, similarly, trumps nachos, tortilla or bread. Served over nachos or with them lining the rim of bowl in a childish turret formation, the nachos become soggy and unappetising. Serve those nachos on the side, as de facto cutlery, and you are providing someone with loads of tiny misshapen spoons patently unsuitable to the task of scooping up chilli. Tortillas are an equally impractical delivery apparatus, and only remain popular because they seem to be a thematic Tex-Mex fit. As for bread, on an arc from brittle, parsimonious pittas to crusty farmhouse loaves, it all pairs poorly with chilli. Just as you should not eat bread with a chunky bean soup, so too, if combined with chilli, bread forms a bloating, oddly woolly and (like potato) texturally odd mouthful. In short, it feels too much like hard work.

Chilli con carne with bread: too bloating. Photograph: Alamy Toppings Chilli should be a one-bowl meal: no avocado side salad. And no serving the sour cream, cheese etc in dinky little ramekins which a) force you to assemble your own meal, and b) because bars and restaurants serve them in such tiny, miserly quantities, always leaves you desperately scraping at the sour cream pot with a knife. Everything you serve with your chilli should be thick enough to sit on top of it, around the plate (so they can be used, in effect, as dipping sauces), and should be deposited in generous dollops. Basically, if you can still see the surface of your chilli, that is a fail. Cheese: Grated straight from the fridge, any reasonably good mild cheddar is perfect. The stronger flavours of mature cheddar are wasted here – it is too domineering, as is sweaty, pungent parmesan. Any cheese must be added at the last minute as, particularly if using monterey jack, if it sits on the hot chilli for too long it will melt into an unedifying greasy quagmire.

Some people favour feta or crumblier lancashire cheese with chilli, but both lack the pleasing meltability of supermarket cheddar. Sour cream: Yes, yes, yes. God bless its fresh, acidic twang. Of course, any half-fat, fat-free or bizarre almond-milk alternatives are strictly verboten. Refried beans: No. Guacamole: A bone of contention. One (misguided) party argues that guacamole adds colour and that its lime, onion and coriander flavours cut a zingy swathe across the chilli. On the other wing, there are (righteous) people adamant that there is something deeply and unpleasantly incongruous about having this cold, thickly blitzed gunk on top of a plate of hot food. Sour cream is a soothing emollient to the chilli. Guacamole is a course in itself; a starter best eaten with nachos. Salsa: See guacamole, but even worse, as even the freshest salsas do not hold together in a way that you can blob them atop your chilli. Finely diced tomato and onion will tumble about, introducing clanging conflicts of temperatures and flavour at every turn.

As for the more viscous, gluey jarred salsas, they are invariably a ludicrously sweet gloop that would be an insult to your chilli. Fundamentally, rice + chilli x cheese ÷ sour cream = perfection. It leaves you with heat, meat and rich, rib-sticking flavours, but also cooler, fresher components, held together in a taut complementary tension. It allows everything to shine, particularly the chilli. Adding anything else would upset this equilibrium. Garnishes and condiments There is almost nothing that requires garnishing with chopped parsley/coriander. It is like someone emptying their hedge trimmings over your tea. Finely sliced fresh chillies and/or jalapeños should also be avoided, as should adding chilli sauces, such as Tabasco or sriracha, at the table. If you cook heat into your chilli, it is smoothly amalgamated into the the dish, whereas dressing it with fresh chillies and chilli sauces introduces unpredictable, destabilising raw heat. If you have patiently created a chilli with real depth and complexity of flavour, why jeopardise that? The only garnish a chilli needs is a handful of crushed nachos, for salty, crunchy contrast.

The chilli Meat: Mince is fine, but if you really want to go to town, there is something far more satisfying – in terms of fibrous bite and muscular resistance (hat tip, Jamie Oliver ), about slow-cooking a piece of beef brisket or stewing steak, then shredding the meat in the sauce before you serve it. “But it feels like pulled pork,” people howl, as if the world has shifted on its axis. But have no fear. You are not doing a sponsored skydive for charity. You are just eating some different-shaped meat. If you want to a chuck in some chorizo too, who could object? Chorizo makes everything better. (NB In food, that is. I am not a qualified medical doctor.) Seasonings: Getting busy with the ground cumin, cinnamon sticks, paprika etc is definitely worth it, as is investing in ancho and smoky chipotle chillies, rather than just using plain old blunt, brutish chilli powder. Beans: It is difficult to go wrong here: pinto, black beans, borlotti for the mavericks, the more the merrier. Kidney beans are vital.

Vegetables: Beyond the obvious (onions, tomatoes, garlic), there is little to add and certainly no role – unless you roast and skin them and cook that plump flesh to a disintegrating tenderness – for the ubiquitous bell pepper. Nothing ruins a chilli more than bulking it out with great, bitter, watery chunks of red or green pepper. Essentially, any veg in a chilli should have melted indistinguishably into the sauce. Veggie chilli Pinterest Chilli on potato? No, no, no. Photograph: Alamy This is an entirely different beast to a meat chilli: naturally brighter and lighter in its flavours, and one where, conversely, you want some of the ingredients to retain their structural integrity. Veggie chilli stands on its own merits, particularly when no attempt is made to directly substitute the meat (Quorn has all the character of polystyrene packing material). It is also versatile in that, with every ingredient you throw in, you are building in flavour. Which is not to say that anything goes – see below.

Cooking a veggie chilli also requires significant patience, given that ideally you will need to add the vegetables in stages, in order to ensure that they all emerge cooked to a T (the commonplace crime here is undercooked ingredients). Acceptable: Onion, tomato, celery, carrot, broccoli or cauliflower (stems, no florets), finely sliced kale/cabbage, peppers (with above proviso), butternut squash, assorted beans: kidney, pinto etc but also chickpeas, cannellini, butter beans. Unacceptable: Leeks, peas, mushrooms, snotty, sludgy courgettes, aubergine, lentils (pulse overkill and they lack the beany heft you expect in a chilli), sweetcorn (wrong in any hot food), sweet potato (the clue’s in the name, twice) and standard potato. How to serve Rice, chilli, sour cream, cheese, crushed nachos (optional), guacamole (if you really must). Dinner plate or wide, shallow bowl. Some people have conniptions if you serve the chilli and rice together. Why? Do they want to sprinkle the rice on top? Serve each side by side? Lunacy!

Make a well in the rice and ladle the chilli in, so that it lubricates the grains. And, crucially, do not serve too much bloating rice (around 40% rice, 60% chilli). Chilli abuses Potatoes (eg chilli-topped fries) we have covered above. Like Celebrity Big Brother, it is dumb junk. Exciting for a couple of mouthfuls; a slog to finish. Topping burgers or hotdogs with chilli is also bizarre, given that any reasonably potent chilli will swamp the flavour of the patty or dog, which would only be positive were you attempting to mask a crap product. When Lunchtime or evenings; chilli is not a breakfast dish … is it? Drink Cold beer, room-temperature red wine, iced water or even milk, if you accidentally dropped the chilli powder as you were cooking. So, chilli con carne: how do you eat yours?

Cookbook:Chili con carne - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Cookbook:Chili con carne Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients | Cuisine of the United States A bowl of chili con carne with beans and tortilla chips Chili con carne (in America shortened to chili) is a spicy stew -like dish, the essential ingredients of which are beef , pork , venison , or other mature meat , and chili peppers . Variations, either geographic or by personal preference, include the addition of tomatoes , onions , beans , and other ingredients. ( Brown sugar is often a favorite condiment). There are also many versions of vegetarian chili, also known as chili sin carne, made without meat (sometimes with a meat substitute). The name "chili con carne" is a slight corruption of the Spanish chile con carne, "chili with meat". Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas. Contents 9 External links Texas chili recipes[ edit ] Texas chilies are generally beef-based, use dried red chili peppers and are therefore red in color. They contain no beans and little or no vegetables other than the chili peppers.

Ingredients for Chili con Carne Jailhouse Chili In the early part of the 20th century, those likely to regularly spend time in local detention facilities in the American Southwest were said to rate the accommodations by the quality of the chili they were served. This became a matter of local pride and competition with other communities. This is a modern version, as served in the Texas prison system. This recipe is a chili powder - and tomato juice-based sauce combined with cubed or ground beef. New Mexico chili recipes[ edit ] The official state vegetable of New Mexico is the chili pepper and the official state question is "Red or green?" This refers to the decision New Mexican chili devotees must regularly make, and which engenders frequent discussion and argument. The red chili is simply a riper form of the green chili; the former is cooked in its dried form and the latter is used fresh from the field, with significant differences in results. For those who simply cannot decide, the standard reply is "Christmas", meaning a portion of each. New Mexico chilies are more commonly based on pork, and include more vegetables than Texas style chilies.

New Mexico Chile Verde Chile verde ("green chili") is generally considered more typical of New Mexican cuisine, possibly because of its more marked visual contrast to Texas-style chili. While there apparently is no canonical recipe for chili verde, all versions involve roasting fresh green chilies and cooking them slowly with meat, garlic, oregano, and cumin. Chili Colorado ("red chili") is a pork-based chili from New Mexico that uses dried red chili peppers. Other meat based chili recipes[ edit ] Cincinnati-Style Chili Cincinnati-style chili is a very popular regional variation that is quite different from Texas-style chili. Most notably, it is usually eaten as a topping for spaghetti or hot dogs, rather than as a stew by itself. Cincinnati-style chili is beanless, but a "four-way" serving includes beans on top of the spaghetti under the chili. The connection between cheddar cheese and chili probably originated in Cincinnati, since the cheese normally tops Cincinnati spaghetti dishes. White Chili Instead of a tomato-based sauce and red meat (beef), great northern beans and chicken breast meat can be substituted. The resulting dish appears white when cooked, and has more of an alkali bean taste, instead of the acidic taste of traditional chili.

Vegetarian chili[ edit ] Vegetarian chilis acquired wide popularity in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s with the rise of the vegetarian philosophy, and is also popular with those on diets which restrict red meat. To make a chili vegetarian, the meat is left out of the recipe or replaced with a meat analogue such as textured vegetable protein or tofu . Some people consider vegetarian chili to be a spicy vegetable stew, and not true chili. This vegetarian chili uses black beans . Accompaniments and additions[ edit ] A pot of chili with beans. Several beverages are commonly used to accompany a bowl of chili, including ice-cold beer or cold milk to moderate the impact of the chilies on the throat. Saltine crackers, broken up and scattered on top, are common in chili parlors. Similarly, commercial corn chips can be added as a topping, producing something akin to Frito Pie . Jalapeño cornbread , rolled-up corn tortillas, and pork tamales also are popular for dunking. Peanut butter sandwiches or peanut butter on saltine crackers served on the side can also accompany chili.

In Missouri, a small portion of pickle juice is often poured into the bowl of chili. In Indiana, some heap coleslaw in their bowl of chili before eating. Beans[ edit ] Pinto beans (frijoles), a staple of Tex-Mex cooking, have long been associated with chili and the question of whether beans "belong" in chili has been a matter of contention among chili cooks for an equally long time. It is likely that in many poorer areas of San Antonio and other places associated with the origins of chili, beans were used rather than meat, or in addition to meat, due to poverty. In that regard, it has been suggested by some chili aficionados that there were probably two chili type made in the world, depending on what could be afforded and how frugal the cook was. As chili spread east into areas where beef was more expensive (beef was plentiful and cheap in San Antonio and other cattle towns), chili with pinto or other beans became more prevalent. In some eastern areas, this dish is referred to as " chili beans " while the term "chili" is reserved for the all-meat dish. Other changes included the adding of other vegetables.

Tomatoes are almost always used, bell peppers are common, and even celery appears in recipes. Many easterners are just as adamant about the inclusion of beans in their chili for an authentic flavor as Texans are about their exclusion. Most commercially prepared canned chili includes beans. Commercial chili prepared without beans is usually called "chili no beans". If you substitute chunks of fresh mushrooms for the beans, you will cut the calorie content of your favorite chili recipe by at least a third, without sacrificing taste. The bland white button mushroom will soak up the flavors of the chilies, tomatoes, chili powder, etc, while helping the chili retain its consistency. Many chili experts believe, however, that beans and chili should always be cooked separately and served on the side. It is then up to the consumer to stir his preferred quantity of beans into his own bowl. Some cooks prefer black beans, black-eyed peas , or kidney beans instead of pinto beans. A popular saying among chili purists is "If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got no beans". Tomatoes[ edit ] Another ingredient considered anywhere from required to sacrilegious is tomatoes.

Wick Fowler, north Texas newspaperman and inventor of "Two-Alarm Chili" (which he later marketed as a "kit" of spices), insisted on adding tomato sauce to his chili, one 15-oz. can per three pounds of meat. He also believed that chili should never be eaten newly-cooked but refrigerated overnight to seal in the flavor. Matt Weinstock, a Los Angeles newspaper columnist, once remarked that Fowler's chili "was reputed to open eighteen sinus cavities unknown to the medical profession". [Tolbert, A Bowl of Red] Rice[ edit ] In Southeast Texas people eat chili over white rice , much like one would eat gumbo ; this is due to the proximity to Louisiana. This is also common in the United Kingdom . Similar dishes[ edit ] Dishes often described as similar to chili con carne include French cassoulet , Indian curry , Jewish cholent , Serbian bean soups and especially Hungarian goulash . References[ edit ] This module uses content from the Wikipedia article " Chile con carne ", and is used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. Frank X. Tolbert. A Bowl of Red: A Natural History of Chili con Carne.

Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966. [Much of the material in this book originally appeared in the author's newspaper columns in The Dallas Morning News beginning in the early 1950s.] Charles Ramsdell. San Antonio: An Historical and Pictorial Guide. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1959. Joe E. Cooper. With or Without Beans. Dallas: W. S. Henson, 1967. H. Allen Smith. "Nobody Knows More About Chili Than I Do." Reprinted at the International Chili Society web site. Jack Arnold. The Chili Lover's Handbook. Privately published, 1977. Robb Walsh. The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos. New York: Broadway Books, 2004. [A very knowledgeable and very well-written "food history", including a long chapter on "real" chili, chili joints, and the San Antonio chili queens.]

Question: As in the dish Chilli Con Carne, what is the translation of the word Carne? Sauce, Rice or Meat?
Answer: Meat