CHILE CON CARNE #englishrecipes

Today we want to share our Chile con Carne recipe.  For the first time, we have dared to cook this Mexican speciality and we are very happy with the result :-) We encourage you to prepare it because you are going to be astonished with the result, exquisite.

But before, and as we like to do, we want to give you a few details about this rich and full dish, that we have chosen to accompany with fried rice.

“Chile con Carne, commonly known in American English as simply “chili”, is a spicy stew containing chili peppers, meat (usually beef), and often tomatoes and beans. Other seasonings may include garlic, onions, and cumin. Variations, both geographic and personal, involve different types of meat and ingredients. Recipes provoke disputes among aficionados, some of whom insist that the word “chili” applies only to the basic dish, without beans and tomatoes. Chili is a frequent dish for cook-offs, and is used as an ingredient in other dishes.”

“In Spanish, the word chile from the Nahuatl "chīlli" refers to a “chili pepper”, and carne is Spanish for “meat”.”

“The original recipe consisted of dried beef, suet, dried chili peppers and salt, which were pounded together, formed into bricks and left to dry, which could then be boiled in pots on the trail.” 

“The San Antonio Chili Stand, in operation at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, helped people taste and appreciate chili.  San Antonio was a tourist destination and helped Texas-style chili con carne spread throughout the South and West.  Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas as designated by the House Concurrent Resolution Number 18 of the 65th Texas Legislature during its regular session in 1977.”

* Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_con_carne

And now it is time to share the recipe that we hope you will enjoy, as much as we did:

INGREDIENTS:
* 2 Cups (500 grs.) Canned Kidney Beans (frijoles, already boiled)
* 3/4 Cup (150 grs.) Sweet Corn
* 1 Onion
* 2 Cloves of Garlic
* 2 Chili Peppers
* 1 Large Green Bell Pepper
* 11 oz. (300 grs.) Natural Crushed Tomato
* 3 Full Table Spoons Olive Oil
* 1 1/8 lbs (500 grs.) Ground Veal Meat
* 1 Bay Leaf
* 1 3/4 Cups (400 ml) Meat Stock
* Salt
* Freshly Ground Black Pepper
* 1 Teaspoon Oregano
* 1/2 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
* 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
* 1 2/3 Cups (250 grs.) Round-Grain Rice
* 1 Clove of Garlic

PREPARATION:
* To begin with, we will put the beans and corn in a strainer and rinse under the tap.  We drain them.
* Then we will peel the onion and the garlic and dice them.
* Now wash and clean the chilli peppers and the green pepper.  Dice the green pepper into small cubes and cut the chillies across their width into thin rings.
* We strain the crushed tomato and set aside.
* We will heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion briefly.  Then we add the garlic and green pepper and we will keep on cooking them.
* We add the ground veal and keep on frying, and continuing to stir until we have a loose consistency.
* We add then the beans, the sweet corn, the chillies, the tomato, the garlic and the bay leaf.  Stir to mix well.
* Pour in the meat stock and spices with the salt, pepper, oregano, sugar and cumin.
* We let it cook uncovered for 20 minutes on low heat.
* And meanwhile we're going to boil the rice, and then we fry it with a clove of garlic in a frying pan.  And this will be our side dish.

And ready to enjoy !!  It tastes really delicious !!

But before we leave, we would like to know how you cook this recipe !  We know there are some variations as you could read before, and we are willing and eager to learn from you.  Also, it would be great to receive via email your comments and suggestions: pilaraprendiendoacocinar@gmail.com