Chilli sin Carne

Chilli sin carne is my vegetarian play on the famous Texan dish, chilli con carne. Since there’s no carne (Spanish for ‘meat’), it’s ‘sin carne’ (without meat). The idea would be an abomination to any self-respecting Texan, so why not go a step further and serve it with brown rice – I love the nutty flavour. You could use this recipe as a base for a more conventional chilli and substitute 500g beef mince for the mushrooms. Staying unconventional, I really enjoy this with a glass of Momento Mori Staring at the Sun, a deliciously funky, cloudy, aromatic skin-contact blend of fiano, vermentino, malvasia and moscato giallo – it works a treat with the chilli heat. The only thing you need to stay traditional with is good Italian canned tomatoes, such as Mutti brand. See video below for another traditional spicy recipe from the USA.

Serves 6

Ingredients

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 red onions, diced
Salt flakes, to taste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon mustard powder
2 red capsicums, diced
200g button mushrooms, quartered
800g canned red kidney beans, rinsed
800g Italian canned tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons sliced pickled jalapeño chillies
Steamed rice, for serving

Method

Heat oil in a frying pan, add onion and a good pinch of salt, cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until starting to colour.
Reduce heat and stir in garlic, oregano, paprika, cayenne, cumin and mustard.
Add capsicum and mushrooms, and stir well to coat in the spice mixture.
Cook, covered, for 5 minutes or so, stirring often, until capsicum is tender.
Stir in kidney beans and tomato, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve with steamed rice, with jalapeños scattered over the top.