chilli con carne – green peppers surely?

Just about to make a chilli. I’ve made it loads of times but thought I would have a look online to see a new recipe for it

Almost every recipe I can find says to add a red pepper, it’s always been green hasn’t it?

My recipe is probably from the 70’s though

Anyone got any good recipes they’ve tried for it?

Never put peppers in mine, its beef (or pork), onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and pulses
Chipotle chillis are fantastic, gives a real smoky taste

don’t forget the (dark) chocolate

Rachel

yep I always save the green ones for the chili. +1 for dark choc suggestion. I also put tamarind in mine!

I put one of each in, red, yellow, green, orange

Bleargh! Green peppers are only suitable for roasting and then throwing away. Bitter, horrible things.

+1 for some chipotle chillies and chocolate. And if anyone wants to add more flavour and spice after the chilli is made then this sauce is spot on.

tamarind and dark chocolate will be going in I think as its the only extra ingredients I can find

No tomatoes either. A proper chili doesn’t have tomatoes (and no kidney beans either). Mine just has beef, onions, chunky smoked bacon, spices, beer, coffee, stock, a bit of 80% chocolate and some masa harina (ground corn) for thickening.

Actually, the recipe I use is this one: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/more-precise-texas-chili-recipe.html

Green peppers are nasty.

I don’t put peppers in my chilli, but if I did, they wouldn’t be green.

Green peppers – not a foodstuff.

A proper chili doesn’t have tomatoes

what is a ‘proper’ chilli anyway? I don’t think it exists. It is what you want it to be. Most people want tomatoes in it by the way.

the beauty of chilli is that it never has to be the same twice.
I always try to add a new ingredient each time I make it just to see what happens. The last magic ingredient I used was Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and it was blindin’

don’t forget the (dark) chocolate cacao

FTFY

Green and red for me, chopped courgette goes in too sometimes.

Big bag of frozen mixed chopped peppers here. Easy, cheap and probably fresher than fresh (if that makes sense).

“Proper” chilli means really really as authentically real as actually possible. Which presumably means as made by some Spanish pioneers or central American Indians. It was probably very plain as gourmet cooking wasn’t particularly big on the New World frontier I imagine.

Just checked Wikipedia:

In Spanish, the “chile” refers to a chile pepper and “carne” means meat. The first documented recipe for “chile con carne” is dated September 2, 1519. The ingredients were boiled tomatoes, salt, chiles and meat. Bernal Diaz del Castillo, one of Hernan Cortez’s captains and the source of the recipe, states in his book, that the Cholulan Indians, allied with the Aztecs, were so confident of victory in a battle against the Conquistadors the following day that they had “already prepared cauldrons of tomatoes, salt and chiles” in anticipation of a victory feast. The one missing ingredient, the meat, was to be furnished by the Conquistadors themselves: their own flesh

So a REALLY authentic chilli does contain tomatoes and also human flesh. And probably tastes a bit rubbish, looking at that list. Mind you, human flesh might add that special elusive flavour and make it taste great for all I know.

To the OP – if by green peppers you mean green bell peppers then NO. NO TO PEPPERS IN CHILLI. Not for reasons of authenticity, but because the flavour will sneak into everything and make it taste thin and peppery.

I love peppers, red and green, but not in anything that stews down because their undernote just wipes everything out. They are best enjoyed cooked but distinct.. like in fajitas or quesedillas.. nom…

green peppers here in Ealing

If you’re going to add peppers, by all means, go ahead. Just roast them first to sweeten them up.

Otherwise, learn a basic chilli, then modify it. “Authentic”…schmauthentic.

Oh and chocolate? Eat to succeed.

Not traditional but I like to add chorizo to mine…and dark chocolate powder…starts thinking about making a chilli tmoro !

Mine is pancetta, onions garlic half pork half beef mince, tiin toms, sun dried toms, red wine, cumin, chilli powder, chilli flakes, red chilli and coffee. The last half hour of cooking add chick and kidney beans

Get yersel some Laphraoig and chipotles in there. Trust me.

The last half hour of cooking add chick and kidney beans

Low as possible for as long as possible, peppers in with the beans as above.

Prefer them with a bit of bite not stewed down.

No peppers in mine, 4 different cuts of meat (including chorizo), tomatoes, chillies, onions, spices and then beans. Slow cook until meat has practically dissolved…

I like the idea of chorizo, had thought about adding it in the past.

Girlfriend unfortunately hates the stuff.

They all taste pretty much the same in a chili anyway.

Atlaz,

Good call on that recipe. Just bookmarked it and will give it a try next time i feel like something spicy.

red peppers, roasted until skins blakened, then remove skins and ad to rest of chilli 🙂

Quite like using stewing beef these days over mince (though tonights did use minced beef)

willard – If you can be bothered, it’s REALLY good served with cornbread. For the most part I can’t be arsed but when I can, it’s an excellent meal.

what is a ‘proper’ chilli anyway? I don’t think it exists. It is what you want it to be. Most people want tomatoes in it by the way.

Well, okay, a proper texan chilli. Speak to more or less any texan and they’re horrified by the idea of minced beef, kidney beans, tomatoes and serving it on rice. I’m not averse to the British style chilli but if I’m cooking it myself I try to do it the way the friends and family in texas would do it. In fact, I did the Homesick Texan recipe for some friends from Fort Worth last year and they were very happy so that’s good enough for me.

my secret ingredients:

paprika.

peas.

marmite.

One red, one green. Will try roasting them next time…

I always put green pepper in mine. Tried the chocolate thing and didn’t like it.

No tomatoes either. A proper chili doesn’t have tomatoes (and no kidney beans either). Mine just has beef, onions, chunky smoked bacon, spices, beer, coffee, stock, a bit of 80% chocolate and some masa harina (ground corn) for thickening.

And your ‘proper’ chili has beer, coffee and chocolate in.

🙄

Interesting Guardian article.

No peppers in mine ordinarily, if anything red

I’ve tried lots of recipes but none have yet to beat the Schwartz mix. Best left a day in fridge to intensify the flavour.

Just peel them and they will be fine.

Whatever is in the fridge that is vaguely appropriate.

wheres the best place to get chipotle chillis ? not seen the in any shops

I got my last ones from Selfridges. Other than that, online (http://www.coolchile.co.uk/ for example)

Chipotles online:

http://www.scorchio.co.uk

http://www.coolchile.co.uk[/url%5D

My tips for cooking chilli:

Cook slowly, keeping as dry as possible
Use beer (I find Sierra Nevada pale ale is best)
If you use tomatoes, use fresh ones, not tinned.
Garnish with Coriander.

Oh, and no green peppers (or any colour for that matter).