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Colorful Chili con Carne with Bell Peppers
If you enjoy making chili con carne recipes, you will love this delicious and colorful chili recipe. A basic chili is made with beef and chili peppers but people have changed the recipe through time and there are now literally hundreds of different chili recipes, ranging from the authentic Mexican recipes for chili, which are likely to be very spicy and contain cocoa powder or chocolate, to white chicken chili recipes and even vegetarian chilies.
A lot of people think that chili has to contain kidney beans but actually a Texan chili is always bean-free and chili did not traditionally have beans in it. Tomatoes, onion, cumin, and green bell peppers are relatively recent additions to this classic dish as well.
The following recipe is actually one of the nicest chili con carne recipes to make because the flavors blend so well. The addition of cocoa powder gives the chili a rich flavor and the bell peppers really add to the overall flavor as well as the way the chili looks. You can serve this flavorful chili con carne on a bed of boiled white rice, if you like, or use it to fill a baked potato, pancake or flour tortilla. Add a spoonful of sour cream if you like. You can serve this chili with tortilla chips and a small side salad if you want to.
Mouthwatering Chili con Carne with Cocoa and Bacon
Ingredients -
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 finely diced onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 minced cloves garlic
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
3 bell peppers, de-seeded and chopped (maybe 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green)
¼ pint water
2 tablespoons tomato concentrate
1 lb ground beef
14 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
14 oz can chopped tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
4 oz diced bacon
4 oz sliced button mushrooms
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Fresh basil, to garnish
Preparation:
Stir the chili and cumin with the water until it is a paste.
Heat the oil in a skillet and add the spice paste.
Fry it for half a minute, then turn down the heat and stir in the garlic and onion.
Fry them over a low to moderate heat for 5 minutes or until tender.
Add the mushrooms, mixed herbs, and bacon.
Cover the pan and cook the mixture for 5 minutes.
Add the ground beef and stir it to break it up.
Cook it for 10 minutes, stirring, and then stir in the tomato concentrate, canned tomatoes in juice and cocoa powder.
Stir and bring the chili to a boil.
Season to taste.
Turn down the heat, cover the pan, and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the red kidney beans and bell peppers, stir the chili and cover the skillet.
Cook it for another 10 minutes and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serve garnished with the basil.
(Serves 4)
Photo Description:
This is one of the most colorful and appetizing looking chili recipes of all. The bell peppers add a rainbow of color to this delicious recipe for beef chili and the basil makes a perfect garnish. You can add a dollop of sour cream too, if you like it, to add even more color. There are many different chili con carne recipes but this one is very flavorful. The bell peppers are a great addition. Cook the chili for half the time after adding them if you prefer the peppers with a little bite or the whole ten minutes if you like them soft. The yellow bell pepper has a sweetness, the green one is tart, and the red one has a taste halfway between the two.
