Wednesday, May 25, 2016

All-Fresh Chili Con Carne with Wild Rice

A simple chili con carne recipe served with wild rice. The novelty here is the use of fresh ingredients instead of dried powders. The result: awesome!

For photos and story, you can visit here.

Ingredients

  • 500 gr (17 oz) ground beef.
  • 300 gr (10 oz) kidney beans.
  • 1 large onion chopped.
  • 1 red pepper chopped.
  • 1 green pepper chopped.
  • 2 green and 2 red chillies finely chopped.
  • 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped.
  • 3-4 sweet and juicy ripe tomatoes.
  • 2 cups of tomato puree (passata).
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano.
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper.
  • 1 tablespoon paprika.
  • ⅓ cup of extra-virgin olive oil.
  • 2 cups of wild rice.
  • Salt and ground pepper.

Instructions

  • Place the beans in a bowl with water and let them soak for several hours (preferably overnight).
  • Boil the beans in a large pot with plenty of water. After ~ 10 minutes of boiling, drain the beans, discard the boiling water and start again with fresh water. Boil until beans become soft and edible (~ 45 minutes). Drain and keep the beans aside.
  • In a large pot, warm up the olive oil on medium heat. Start cooking the onion, peppers and chilli. When they start getting soft, add the garlic and beef. Season with oregano, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika and cook until the beef becomes nicely brown. Give it a stir from time to time.
  • Meanwhile, prepare a nice tomato paste with the fresh tomatoes using a blender.
  • Add the fresh tomato paste in the pot together with the tomato puree. Set the heat to low and stir well. The meat should be covered by the tomato sauce. If not, add a bit of hot water.
  • Let your chili cook slowly for ~ 1 hour. Give it a stir from time to time. You should always try it to check if it needs more seasoning.
  • Boil the rice according to the instructions on the box. Drain and return it to the pot that it was cooked. Place a towel on the pot to absorb the excess water from the rice for ~ 15 minutes.
  • Your chili is ready when the excess water has been boiled and the sauce has thickened.


bon appetit

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