Get around this hot take for your next taco night! Whether it's with friends or family, for movies or games, it's a classic for a reason 🌽🫑🍅
Honestly, who hasn't shared a table of juicy chili con carne with tortillas or corn chips and all the mouth watering sides that fair so well for a laid back night with friends. It's easy, it's warm, it's comforting and it takes you to a warm night somewhere in Mexico for a few hours. Whether you pair it with a crisp beer, a guava lime soda or your finest tequila, it's a meal for the masses 🌮🌯🫔
The tricky thing about a chili and modified diets is the little skins that wrap up the beans and case the capsicums, and making sure that there are no chewy or dry bits in that gorgeous slow cooked meat. To address this, I chose to use pre-roasted capsicums, add the beans at the very end to avoid over cooking and peeling, and using minced meat instead slow cooking cut of meat. It also means that it takes less time to prepare and can be whipped up in a hurry 🏃🏽♀️💨
Of course, one of the best parts of a chili night is the corn chips and the tortillas. But this recipe is for a soft bite sized or minced moist diet which limits the carb options that go oh so well. How did I compensate? Polenta... 😋
Realistically, you can use any kind of grain that is fine enough to be cooked into a puree but I like the corn-like flavour that polenta gives which helps it to feel a little more authentic. If you can get your hands on ground maise though, even better!
I'd recommend cooking the polenta last as it's the hardest thing to reheat and will hold it's shape once it cools. Although this meal could easily be a production line that has all elements bubbling away simultaneously.
Chili con Carne with Spicy Sweet Corn and Polenta
Serves 4
Ingredients
Chili Con Carne
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion, shredded or finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 jarred and skinned capsicum, cut up 4mm
500kg ground beef
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp onion or garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Tinned tomatoes (with water)
Tinned kidney beans, roughly chopped or pulsed
Spicy Sweet Corn
1 tin of sweet corn
3 tablespoons butter
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground chilli
Salt and pepper to taste
Polenta
1 cup polenta
4 cups water
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon of butter
Method
Chili con Carne
Add the olive oil to a pan on medium heat.
Once hot, add onions and garlic and sautee for approximately 3 minutes or until translucent.
Add the capsicums and sautee for a further 3 minutes.
Turn the pan on high heat and add the mince. Break apart with spoon until the mince is in small (4mm) pieces.
Add the spice mix to the pan and stir through.
Pulse the tinned tomatoes in the blender with the water and add to the pan with the tomato paste. Stir through and then allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
Rinse the tinned kidney beans and pulse to small pieces before adding to the pan. Allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Spicy Sweet Corn
Pulse corn 1-2 times and then drain.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a hot frypan.
Add the lemon juice, paprika, chilli powder, salt and pepper.
Stir and sautee for 2 minutes.
Add the drained corn, and sautee for 4-5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter through the corn mix.
Polenta Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan.
Once boiling, take the saucepan off the heat and slowly stir through the polenta a little at a time. Continue stirring as you add the polenta to ensure it does not clump together.
Put the saucepan back on the medium-high heat and continue to stir slowly as it thickens to the desired consistency.
Once at the desired consistency, melt the butter through and add salt to taste.
Serve immediately to avoid the polenta changing consistency.
To serve, place the chilli con carne on a bed of polenta. The polenta must be served while still hot so that it does not set in the saucepan. Add a serve of the spicy sweet corn on the side and if desired, dollop with sour cream and smashed avocado. Enjoy with your favourite Mexican drink 🍺🍹🍷
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