Ancho Chile Con Carne Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toast the whole dried ancho, arbol and New Mexico chiles on a baking sheet until puffed, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool. Remove the seeds and stems
• In a spice or coffee grinder, grind the toasted chiles until fine. In a small bowl, mix the chile powder, cumin and oregano with enough hot water (about 2 tablespoons) until a thick paste forms.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and render until crispy, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and reserve on a paper towel-lined plate. Keep the fat in the pot.
• Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Increase the heat under the pot to medium high, add the beef in batches and cook until browned. Remove the beef and set aside. Add the chile paste and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the onions, season with salt and pepper and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the jalapenos and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the beef back to the pot along with the hot beef stock, crushed tomatoes and cornmeal. Bring to a simmer and cook at a simmer until thick and rich, about 2 1/2 hours, adding more beef stock if the chili is getting too thick. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Finish with lime juice to taste.
• Serve with Perry County Corn Bread and choice of toppings: crispy bacon, fried onions, crushed tortilla chips, sliced avocados and corn nuts.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until melted.
• In a bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour and salt. In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs.
• Mix the buttermilk/egg mixture into the dry mix until creamy and pourable. Add more buttermilk if needed to achieve the appropriate consistency. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and stir lightly. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Over a high heat, toast the whole chillies on all sides until you can smell them cooking, then remove and set aside. Keep the pan on the heat and toast the peppercorns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds until they just start to change colour, then grind to a powder using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Mix with the smoked paprika and oregano (this is a standard tex-mex seasoning), then set aside.
• Return the casserole to the heat, add half the oil and heat until shimmering. Fry the beef in batches, adding more oil if you need to, until it's browned on all sides, then set aside. Fry the onions in the pan over a low heat for about 8 mins until soft and golden, then add the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Working fast, add the meat and juices, the spice mix, tomato purée, peanut butter and coffee to the pan and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring to coat the meat until everything is thick and gloopy, then pour in the vinegar and stock.
• Add the toasted chillies back into the casserole, along with the bay leaves, cinnamon and some salt. Bring to a simmer and stir well, then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 3hrs, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender but not falling apart. Take the casserole out of the oven, put back on the stove and remove the lid. Simmer the sauce for 5 mins, then stir in the semolina flour and simmer for 2-3 mins more. Finely grate over the chocolate, stir through with the beans and simmer for a minute more to heat through. Fish out the chillies, then leave everything to rest for at least 15 mins.
• Bring the pan to the table. Serve with bowls of accompaniments and the chilli paste (see tip below) to add heat.

Steps:

• Toast chiles in a skillet over medium heat, turning often, until fragrant and puffed up (2 minutes).
• Cut in half and remove cores, reserving seeds. Transfer chiles to a bowl and cover with boiling water; set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Add pork; cook until browned, 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
• Working in batches, cook beef until browned, 3 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed and transferring browned meat to the plate.
• Meanwhile, puree chiles and 1/2 cup soaking liquid in a blender.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until softened (6-8 minutes).
• Stir in cumin, oregano, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons reserved chile seeds (more for heat, if desired). Cook 1 minute.
• Add chile puree. Raise heat to medium-high; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
• Return meat to pot. Add 2 teaspoons salt, tomatoes, and beer, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-high. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 1/4 hours.
• Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and sauce is thick, about 30 minutes more.
• Discard bay leaf. Stir in vinegar.
• Serve chili with avocado halves, scallions, tortilla chips, and grated cheese.

Steps:

• . Trim excess fat from beef. Cut beef into 5 or 6 large pieces. Place in 4-quart saucepan with stock, oregano and cumin; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove beef and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Reserve stock and skim off excess fat.
• Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic powder; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until just tender. Add cooked beef, ancho and chipotle chile peppers, and salt; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes longer.
• Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved stock (including the herbed residue), stirring until thickened. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes to blend flavors.
• Serve with warmed flour tortillas, refried beans or cooked rice, if desired.

Steps:

• Prepare your vegetables. Chop 1 large onion into small dice, about 5mm square. The easiest way to do this is to cut the onion in half from root to tip, peel it and slice each half into thick matchsticks lengthways, not quite cutting all the way to the root end so they are still held together. Slice across the matchsticks into neat dice.
• Cut 1 red pepper in half lengthways, remove stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop. Peel and finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
• Start cooking. Put your pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot (a little longer for an electric hob).
• Add the onion and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft, squidgy and slightly translucent.
• Tip in the garlic, red pepper, 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder or 1 level tbsp mild chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin.
• Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Brown 500g lean minced beef. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince.
• Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
• Make the sauce. Crumble 1 beef stock cube into 300ml hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture.
• Add a 400g can of chopped tomatoes. Tip in ½ tsp dried marjoram, 1 tsp sugar and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
• Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes.
• Check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan or isn't drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
• Drain and rinse a 410g can of red kidney beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry.
• Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think.
• Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving. This is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle.
• Serve with soured cream and plain boiled long grain rice.

Steps:

• Toast chiles in a skillet over medium heat, turning often, until fragrant and puffed up, 2 minutes. Cut in half; remove cores. Reserve seeds. Transfer chiles to a bowl; cover with boiling water. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook until browned, 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Working in batches, cook beef until browned, 3 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed and transferring browned meat to the plate.
• Meanwhile, put chiles and 1/2 cup soaking liquid into a blender; puree. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cumin, oregano, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons reserved chile seeds (more for heat, if desired). Cook 1 minute. Add chile puree. Raise heat to medium-high; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
• Return meat to pot. Add 2 teaspoons salt, the tomatoes, and beer. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-high. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 1/4 hours. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and sauce is thick, about 30 minutes more. Discard bay leaf. Stir in vinegar. Serve chili with avocado halves, scallions, tortilla chips, and grated cheese.