Chili con Carne

We call this the Every Day Chili con Carne because it’s just as easy to make a double batch and have it on hand for several meals over the week. Try wrapping it in tortillas, in tacos or as a rice bowl to keep it interesting.

Tips

• You’ll need a Mexican style spice mix for this recipe. We recommend our Nutshell Mexican Spice Blend , of course.
• Since this is not meant to be an authentic dish, we like to use Korean Gochujang chili paste.

Method

Heat a pan. Generously season each side of the minced beef with salt and pepper. Add oil to the pan, then place the whole “brick” of beef on the heat. Allow to brown heavily, while whole, on one side before flipping it over to brown the other side. Ideally, the beef will form a nicely seasoned crust during this stage.

Lower the heat and add the chopped onion, finely chopped jalapeño and chili paste. Allow the onion to brown slightly, but it doesn’t need much colour!

Add the remaining herbs and spices, except for the cinnamon, and allow to toast while breaking the minced beef down into small pieces. A wooden spoon works well for this step.

Sprinkle flour and masa harina lightly over the beef and onion, while stirring to prevent clumps. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure all the flour has had a chance to begin cooking. This step will help thicken the sauce.

Add the apple cider vinegar and the canned tomato. Break the tomato down into small pieces.

Add the stock and cinnamon quill. Simmer for at least 45 minutes.

Add the canned beans and stir to combine. The beans don’t require cooking, but do allow them to heat through.

Turn off the heat, then sprinkle the masa over, avoiding clumps, and stir to combine. This will thicken the gravy slightly.

There is already salt in the recommended spice blend, and most commercial products would also be quite salty, but now is the time to season the chili to taste.

About this Recipe

This is the official, kid approved, Nutshell chili con carne recipe.