Slow Cooker Chili Con Carne (and Cheeky Enchiladas!)

OH MY GOD. I've not posted in ages. I was on night shift and I just forgot to update. To make it up to my poor, neglected blog, I will post my absolute favourite recipe that I've made recently. I could eat this every day for the rest of my life and be happy. NO JOKE.

I have always been put off the recipes for chili that call for big hunks of braising meat, preferring to cook with the safety of my minced meat. The cooking times just seemed too daunting – I never start dinner so early!

However, with my trusty slow cooker on board, I don’t think that there is anything we can’t do. So the second thing I ever made in it was my absolute favourite meal in the world. I think a good chilli con carne is probably my favourite meal, because of the flavours and versatility. You can serve it with beans, with sweet potatoes, with rice, ensconced in a tortilla wrap, atop nachos, and I’ve even been known to smother it on a half baguette, top with cheese and bake in the oven! I mean, you could easily double this recipe and dine out on leftovers for days without getting bored!

Good old chili – is there anything you can’t do?

Side note – I’ve lamented about this before I’m sure, but my darling boyfriend doesn’t like chili. Now, I only realised this for real when we were a few years in, so I couldn’t just ditch him for his poor opinions. His only saving grace is that he likes enchiladas. What I have done here, therefore, is to whip up a chili for me (yum) and then make that into a filling for enchiladas for him. This is delicious on its own, but I’ve added the ingredients and method for if your loved ones are also wrong and hate chili.

makes a ton  of chilli - the only amount of chilli that is acceptable to make! 

Ingredients for the chili

• 400g braising beef steak, chopped roughly
• 1 tsp oil
• 200g chorizo sausage, cut into small cubes
• 1 large onion, diced finely
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 pepper, diced finely
• 1 dried chipotle chilli
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mixed allspice
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinammon stick
• 4 cloves
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 250ml pasatta
• 250ml beef stock
•  2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp smoked chilli salsa, optional
• 1 can of beans – I went with pinto, my favourite

Ingredients to make enchiladas

• The rest of the chorizo oil
• Enough olive oil to make up to 2 tbsp total oil
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 100ml pasatta
• 150ml vegetable stock
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp garlic granules (or 1 clove, minced)
• ½ tsp onion granules
• 2 small squares of dark chocolate
• 2 tortilla wraps
• A handful of cheese

Method

Chop your meat, and heat the oil in a pan. Sear the meat, I did it in 2 batches to prevent the meat stewing and give me a good golden sear around the outside.

Place the meat in the slow cooker.

Now, fry off the chorizo sausage for a few minutes, then add to the slow cooker, reserving the 

orangey oil.

Fry off the veggies in  half of the the chorizo-oil for a few minutes, then add the chilli, all the herbs and spices and mix well.

Transfer all of this to the slow cooker.

Drizzle over your vinegar, then pour in the pasatta and stock. Finally sprinkle over the sugar, and add some more of the smoked chilli salsa (optional, for spice lovers!).

Place the lid on and let simmer on the low setting for 4-5 hours.

Open the lid, pour in the beans, give a bit of a stir and cook on high for the last 2 hours (or low for 4, if you have the time!). Note, it smells amazing while cooking, you might not be able to wait very long. Shred some of the larger pieces of meat before serving.

If you’re making enchiladas, prepare the sauce 1 hour before the end of the slow cooker cooking time. Begin by heating the oils, and then stir through the flour, paprika and cayenne to form a spicy roux. Stir constantly for a minute or so, and then gently pour through the pasatta and stock, stirring until all combined. Finally, sprinkle over the cumin and garlic and onion granules and stir. Plop the chocolate chunks in the middle and gently stir until melted. Cook for another 5 minutes on a low heat until thickening.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Remove the chili that you want to put in the enchiladas about 25 minutes before the end of cooking time. Spread onto the tortillas and wrap up.

Continue this for as many enchiladas as you want to make and place in a greased oven dish.

Smother with the enchilada sauce and top with cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Both the slow cooker chili and the enchiladas should then be finished cooking at the same time.

Serve each (chili or enchilada) however you please – tortilla wraps, baked sweet potatoes, rice, salad.. chili is so versatile!