Chili con Carne

September 17 - dinner out with my SIL at Queen Margherita Pizza
September 18 - chili con carne


With it finally beginning to feel like fall, I couldn't think of anything better to make on Football Sunday than chili.  I have a couple chili recipes that I've come up with on my own that are tasty but I haven't found that one go to recipe yet.  So I thumbed through my cookbooks and came upon Jamie Oliver's recipe in my Food Revolution cookbook.  The recipes in this book are so simple, that I'm a bit addicted to it when I don't feel like having to spend a ton of time cooking.  Since I went overboard today at the farmer's market and had a ridiculous amount of produce to put up for the winter, an easy chili recipe was just want I needed. 


This is a super tasty chili and while it may not be my go to perfect recipe, it was simple and packed with flavor and made enough to get us through a few meals, there's even some in the freezer for the quickly approaching day when I start shooting the movie I'm working on and the Boy will be on his own for dinner. 

Chili con Carne
adapted from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution


2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 medium carrots
2 sticks of celery
2 red peppers
olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon chilli powder
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 15oz can of black beans
1 15 oz can of red kidney beans
1 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes
1 lb lean ground beef
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


1. Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery 
2. Halve the red peppers, remove the stalks and seeds and roughly chop 
3. Place your largest pot on a medium high heat 
4. Add 2 lugs of olive oil and all your chopped vegetables 
5. Add the chilli powder, cumin and cinnamon with a good pinch of salt and pepper 
6. Stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes until softened and lightly colored 7. Add the drained black beans, drained kidney beans and the tomatoes, breaking them with your hands as you add them. Stir to combine 
8. Add the ground beef, breaking any larger chunks up with a wooden spoon 
9. Fill one of the empty tomato tins with water and pour this into the pan 
10. Pick the coriander leaves and place them in the fridge 
11. Finely chop the washed stalks and stir in 
12. Add the balsamic vinegar and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper 
13. Bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a simmer with a lid slightly askew for about an hour, stirring every now and again to stop it catching.