Cooking For Sandro: Chilli Con Carne... Risotto Style!

We love chilli con carne, it is one of those easy one pot wonders with lots of flavor! It's a great dish to make for any Mexican themed dinner party, or just as a fun dish for lunch or dinner. It also makes a great burrito filling!

I like to make enough for left overs so that we can freeze a couple of portions for the nights we have no time to cook, easy and versatile!

My Chilli Con Carne is made the same way I would make a risotto however I will use either Jasmine or Basmati rice, it isn't as glutenous as an Italian Arborio rice.

I purchase my spices pre-mixed from the Gewurzhaus spice shop, their chilli con carne spice mix contains chillis, cumin, garlic, pepper, lemon myrtle and oregano clove. You can either purchase the spices pre-mixed or mix your own and adjust the chilli dosage to your liking.

To make a simple Chilli Con Carne spice, just add (in order of amounts to add)...

1. Chilli powder
2. Cumin powder
3. Paprika
4. Garlic powder
5. Black Pepper
6. Salt

Tip: Make the Chilli Con Carne spice in one big batch and store it in a jar on your spice rack for whenever you want to use it again.

For this recipe all you will need is one non-stick pan, you can use a deep pot or a fry pan no less than 10cm deep.

Ingredients (serves four very generous portions )

1. 500 grams beef mince (or 250grams beef mince and 250gram pork mince)
2. 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
3. 2 cloves garlic diced finely
4. 1/2 red onion diced finely
5. 1/2 capsicum diced finely
6. 1 carrot grated or diced finely
7. 1 tin black beans (400 grams)
8. 1+ 1/4 cup rice
9. 1 beef stock cube (Massel)
10. 1 cup tomato puree passatta
11. A full kettle of boiled water
12. 1 Lime
13. Light sour cream

Method:

1. In a non stick pan heat 1/2 cup olive oil and add diced onion and garlic for approximately 2 minutes on medium to high heat.
2. Add the diced carrot and capsicum to the pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Add the minced meat and stir through adding 2 heaped teaspoons of your Chilli Con Carne spice mix.
4. Add the black beans.
5. Cook the mixture until the mince is no longer pink.
6. Add the rice and stir through.

7. Add the tomato passatta and cook for a minute.
8. Dilute the beef stock cube in 4 cups of boiled water and add to the pan. Stir through.
7. Lower the heat slightly (medium).

8. As the rice starts to cook and absorb the water, add additional hot water 1 cup at a time until the rice has absorbed all the water and cooked through. Ensure to stir every few minutes. The rice will take approximately 20-30 minutes to cook. Ensure to taste the rice before you take the pan off the heat. Rice shouldn't be grainy (too hard) or too soft.