Post #137561 by Trader Woody on Wed, Jan 26, 2005 3:25 PM

Hi Kon,

Good to see that you're back - hope you had a great time in Hawaii! (Show us the pics!!)

I make chilli a lot and it's always a little bit different. I don't measure out anything, but just let it take it's course and add ingredients as I see fit.

The basics - Ground beef (about 1.5 pounds), 4 cans kidney beans, 5 cans of chopped tomatoes. 2/3 onions (chopped) and a couple of cloves of garlic (crushed).

The fun is in the spices, so I try to add a variety of hot chilli peppers so you get a blend of different heats. It's all down to what's in the cupboard, but there's always extra hot chilli powder, some dried hot chillis, dashes of various different chilli sauces etc etc. Also, I put in a lot of ground black pepper, lots of paprika, some sugar, oxo (stock) cubes, a little oregano/basil (though not too much or it starts veering towards the Italian).

Cocoa powder or dark chocolate makes a huge difference, and sometimes I'll toss in a beer. Bits of cooked bacon also add taste.
Only add salt if desperate, but you'll certainly need at least a little. Anything like fresh tomatoes and chillis in the fridge are well worth chucking in. A tube of that tomato puree always works wonders, too.

Cook for as long as possible on as low a heat as possible, stirring as much as possible. Taste often and keep on adding the spices.

Trader Woody