Ingredients

• 1 large red onion
• finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 carrot
• quartered lengthways and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• crushed
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• ¾ tsp smoked sweet paprika
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 500g/1lb 2oz best-quality beef mince
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 x 400g/14oz tin kidney beans
• drained and rinsed
• 1 red or green pepper
• seeds removed and roughly chopped
• 1 x 400g/14oz tin best-quality chopped tomatoes
• 500-750ml/18-22fl oz beef stock
• sea salt and black pepper
• 2 squares 70% dark chocolate
• grated
• small bunch coriander
• chopped
• cooked rice
• fresh coriander
• roughly chopped
• soured cream

Directions

• Heat a large casserole or heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add a glug of oil and once hot add the onion. Cook for a minute and add the carrots. Cook for 5-7 minutes
• or until the onions are softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add the spices and the oregano and cook for two minutes
• or until aromatic. Add the beef
• breaking it up as it fries into small pieces. Cook for 3-4 minutes
• or until brown all over and broken down into small pieces. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for two minutes.
• Stir in the kidney beans and chopped pepper
• stirring over the heat for 3-4 minutes to soften the pepper a little
• then add the tomatoes and enough beef stock to slightly more than cover the meat. Stir everything round
• scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to unstick any bits from the bottom
• and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a rapid simmer
• reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1½-2 hours
• or until thickened and rich. If at any point the liquid level looks low then add a little hot water or any remaining stock.
• Before serving
• add the grated squares of chocolate and stir through the hot chilli con carne to melt. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
• Serve with rice and garnish the chilli with coriander and soured cream.