Easy Chili con Carne

There are two things that will probably surprise you about Chili con Carne:

1. That is is surprisingly easy to make (I'll show you)
2. That it contains Cocoa powder as an ingredient (did somebody say champorado?)


We had some canned beans (red kidney beans) and tomatoes in the pantry and I was craving for some Mexican. So, yes, I Googled for recipes and adapted the ones that I like to my own taste (and available ingredients).

Canned beans cut cooking time a whole lot - imagine having to soak dry beans and boiling them before you even get started.

*As for the tomatoes, fresh ones are always better, but you'll need to add about a tablespoon of tomato paste diluted in about 1 cup water to make up for the tomato juice.

Chili con Carne

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 20 min | Total time: 30 min

Ingredients:
125g ground pork
125g bacon (NOT Maple/Honey flavor)
250g boiled/canned red kidney beans, drained
200g tomatoes with juice*
1 large red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium red onion/shallot, diced
1 medium bay leaf
1 tsp coriander, ground
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cocoa powder
salt
ground pepper
cooking oil
crackers (optional garnish)

Instructions:

1. Cook ground pork and bacon in a skillet with little or no oil. Set aside.
2. Using the same skillet (with remaining oil from meats), saute garlic, onion, tomatoes, red bell pepper and tomato juice.
3. Crush tomatoes and leave simmering until soft.
4. Add the beans and let simmer some more for 3 minutes.
6. Add spices: bay leaf, ground coriander, paprika, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt and pepper.
7. Add meats and simmer for a few more minutes, until flavors have incorporated.
8. Serve with crackers.