Chili Con Carne.....Viva Tequila !!

 Today I made a most delicious chili con carne. I liked it and the most difficult critics, my wife and daughter, loved it. I am basically writing this recipe for my own benefit. What better way is there? I am sure I would have forgotten the doses and steps by tomorrow! For those of you who like chili con carne (beans with chili powder and meat) this may be another way to cook it...


You will need:
Serves 6 on rice.
For the beans you will need:
-  500 gr of beans as per picture soaked in lots of water overnight.
-  1 big onion very thinly sliced.

-  8 cloves of garlic minced.
-  2 beef cubes.
-  Freshly ground black pepper.
-  1 tsp. cumin powder.
-  no salt.
Method:
-  Drain beans from the water they stayed overnight in. Wash. Drain.
-  Add water to a pot cover beans by 2 inches.
-  Boil covered on high heat, then lower to simmer.
-  Set your timer to 1 hour.
-  In the meantime add onion, garlic, and beef cubes.
-  Stir to mix and to help cubes dissolve.
-  Add cumin powder. Stir and mix. Keep covered.
-  Cook covered on very low heat,  or till the beans are tender. Set aside.
For the meat you will need:
-  500 gr of beef cut in tiny cubes or ground through the biggest holes of the meat grinder.
-  1/3 cup olive oil.
-  1 small onion cubed.
-  4 cloves garlic roughly sliced.
-  1½ Tbsp. flour.
-  180 gr tomato pieces with juice.
-  2 Tbsp. chili powder.
-  1-2 Hot chilies sliced.
-  1 tsp. cumin powder.
-  1/3 cup tequila.
-  Freshly ground black pepper.
Method:
-  Heat oil in skillet, add beef cut in cubes or thickly ground.
-  Fry beef on high heat in batches till well browned all round.
-  Drain beef juices from each batch into the beans.
-  Add flour, stir and mix.
-  Continue frying the meat on high heat for a minute for the flour to cook.
-  Add onion, garlic, chili, and continue frying on high heat.
-  Add tequila and flambe to get rid of alcohol.
-  Add the tomato pieces with juice and stir.
-  Add 2-3 ladles of liquid from the beans, mix, cover,  bring to a boil, lower heat to minimum and simmer for 1 hour stirring frequently and adding bean liquid when needed till meat is nice and tender and well cooked. 
-  Drain the beans from the liquids (into a cup: delicious to drink).
-  Add meat to the beans. Stir and mix well.
 - Turn off heat and serve on rice or with tortilla chips topped with lots of grated cheddar cheese. Wow!!
-  In case you top with cheddar, microwave to melt the cheese. Wow again!! My mouth is watering!!
Serve with Southern Style Corn Bread.
 Enjoy!
Stelio

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