This is probably the best chilli I ever made. I think in the past I was guilty of treating chilli as an easy meal to throw together using minced beef, a tomato sauce and chilli powder. Here I used chunks of beef shin marinated in a chocolate stout. When I first started cooking this and taste testing I thought I’d made a big mistake because the chocolate taste was overpowering. However, after 3 hours of slow cooking that all changed and the favour of chocolate was subtle and the wonderful smoky taste of the dry roasted chillies came to the fore.
If you can’t get chocolate stout, substitute Guinness and add a few squares of good quality 70% plus chocolate to the sauce at the beginning of cooking. I used a slow cooker but this dish could be cooked in a low oven or on the hob.
Ingredients (serves 2 to 3)
1 dried aji amarillo chilli
1 dried aji limon chill
1 dried boriya chilli
2 fat cloves of garlic, grated
330ml chocolate stout
1 heaped tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 heaped tsp dried epazote
500g beef shin, cut into chunks
2 Romano peppers
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp tomato purée
Ground chilli or chopped fresh chillies (optional, to taste)
150g (drained weight) canned beans (I used borlotti and pinto)
Salt, to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish
Method
If you can’t get chocolate stout, substitute Guinness and add a few squares of good quality 70% plus chocolate to the sauce at the beginning of cooking. I used a slow cooker but this dish could be cooked in a low oven or on the hob.
Ingredients (serves 2 to 3)
1 dried aji amarillo chilli
1 dried aji limon chill
1 dried boriya chilli
2 fat cloves of garlic, grated
330ml chocolate stout
1 heaped tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 heaped tsp dried epazote
500g beef shin, cut into chunks
2 Romano peppers
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp tomato purée
Ground chilli or chopped fresh chillies (optional, to taste)
150g (drained weight) canned beans (I used borlotti and pinto)
Salt, to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish
Method
- Place a frying pan on a high heat. Add the whole dried chillis and toast for a minute or so. Grind the toasted chillies to a powder.
- Pour the stout into a bowl, add the ground chillies, herbs and garlic and mix together. Add the beef chunks. Cover and marinate for 12 -24 hours.
- Whilst the beef is marinating, prepare the peppers. Place the peppers under a hot grill (broiler) and cook, turning once until the skins are charred and the peppers ‘floppy’. Place the peppers in a covered bowl or in a storage box and allow to cool.
- Remove the skins from the peppers. They should come away quite easily but leaving a few charred bits will add flavour. Remove the seeds and cut the peppers into strips. Set aside.
- When you are ready to cook the chilli, heat the oil in frying pan and add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion softens and add the flour, stirring well. Cook over a gentle heat for a minute. Add a small amount of the marinating liquid and stir well to ensure there are no lumps.
- Tip the beef and its marinade, plus the onion mixture into a slow cooker (crock pot). Stir well and cook on a low heat for 3 to 4 hours until the beef is tender.
- Once the beef is tender, add the pepper strips and beans and cook until they are heated through.
- Taste test during cooking and add salt and ground chilli or chopped fresh chillies as required.
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