Chilli con Carne 'Especial'

Ingredients 
1tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
500g Venison Steak Mince
2 Onions
4 Garlic Cloves
4 Dried Chillies
4 Chipotle Chillies
1tbsp Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
1tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2tsp Paprika
2tsp Ground Coriander
1tsp Chilli Powder
1tsp Cumin Seeds
2tsp Dried Oregano
400g Tomatoes (chopped)
200ml Water
250g Red Kidney Beans (cooked)
Handful of Fresh Coriander (to garnish)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the cumin seeds for a minute. Add the steak mince and fry over a medium heat until brown then add the onions and fry for 5 minutes. 
2. In a blender, combine the chillies, garlic, vinegar and soy sauce and blend together until a paste forms. 
3. Add the remaining spices to the meat and onions, stir together and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Now throw in the paste, stir again and cook for a couple more minutes. 
4. Add the tomatoes and water, bring to a boil then cook with the lid on for at least 45 minutes. 
5. Add the kidney beans, season with salt and black pepper and cook with the lid on for a final 15 minutes. 

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with boiled rice cooked with some lime juice.

Why is this Chilli con Carne deserving of the ‘especial’ title I immediately hear you ask, well, first of all, it’s pretty damn delicious and secondly it’s cooked with venison steak mince which is a slight diversion away from a typical chilli con carne. Plus, ‘especial’ sounds impressive and Mexican. Realistically, you can cook this with beef mince but if you can get your hands on venison steak mince I really do recommend giving this recipe a go. Also, the additions of balsamic vinegar and soy sauce add something that you would not normally get from more traditional Mexican food.

This chilli hits all the right spots in terms of flavour, it has spice and heat from the chillies and spices, sweet and sour notes from the vinegar and a real savoury element due to the soy. The choice of venison also gives this recipe a richness that you wouldn’t get from normal beef mince.

As you may have already noticed on this blog, I love Mexican food and although some of the ingredients for this dish are not typically Mexican, this Chilli is a real winner. I think the crucial thing to get right here is the paste and the mixture of spices. If you prefer a sweeter chilli, add a red pepper to the paste and roast the tomatoes before you add them to the sauce. Obviously, if you don’t have a huge heat tolerance, then remove a couple of the chillies from the paste mixture. In terms of the spices, it’s important to fry the dry spices before adding the paste just to bring out their full flavour. It really is worth the extra time investment for this recipe to get that really great end product.

If you have the time, like I did this weekend, simmer the chilli for a couple of hours before adding the beans to intensify the flavour. If you want to make this meal go further, serve with tacos, rice and plenty of salad dressed with lime and coriander. Any excuse to put something in a taco right? Buenos noches amigos!