{"id":190641,"title":"Authentic Chili con Carne","modified":"2026-10-09T12:19:29+02:00","plain":"Ground beef, kidney beans, roasted bell pepper and tomatoes simmered under a lid in a single saut\u00e9 pan, with cumin, paprika and a hint of cayenne, served with white rice.\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s been raining since morning, night falls early, and you want a dish that truly warms you up. In the saut\u00e9 pan, the cumin and paprika are already filling the whole kitchen with their aroma while the tomato sauce slowly thickens under the lid. \n\n\n\nThe beef stays juicy, the kidney beans turn meltingly tender and the roasted pepper slips a subtle smoky note into every spoonful. The chili is served alongside piping hot white rice, and the first bowl disappears faster than expected.\n\n\n\nIn the United States, chili is often eaten with a square of cornbread\n\n\n\nWhat Is Chili con Carne?\n\n\n\nChili con carne is a spicy beef and tomato stew. In the home-style version cooked in France, ground beef, kidney beans, half a roasted red bell pepper and peeled tomatoes simmer, covered, in a single saut\u00e9 pan, with onions, cumin, sweet paprika and a little cayenne pepper. A few drops of Tabasco liven it all up, and the chili is served with white rice. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the spoon.\n\n\n\nThe name comes from Spanish and means \u201cchili pepper with meat.\u201d In France, it mostly refers to this dish of ground beef, tomatoes and kidney beans, which is saucier than Texas chili.\n\n\n\nFrom the Chili Queens of San Antonio to French Tables\n\n\n\nChili con carne was born on the border between Texas and northern Mexico. In the 19th century, in San Antonio, Tejana vendors nicknamed the Chili Queens served it on the street, straight from their pots, to soldiers, cowboys and travelers. Texas declared it its official dish in 1977.\n\n\n\nAnother American bean classic: Boston baked beans\n\n\n\nIn Texas, purists keep the beans out of the pot and cook the meat in chunks, with a paste made from dried chili peppers. Elsewhere, most families have adopted beans, tomatoes and ground beef, which are simpler and cheaper. It\u2019s this version that has made itself at home in French households, alongside other Tex-Mex dishes like beef nachos.\n\n\n\nThe Main Ingredients in Chili con Carne\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGround beef made from 100% beef stays tender and breaks up into the sauce as it simmers. Canned kidney beans, drained well, turn the dish into a complete meal and make it slightly creamy. \n\n\n\nThe peeled tomatoes go in with their juice and are then crushed with a fork right in the saut\u00e9 pan: they make the sauce, and their acidity balances the beef.\n\n\n\nTwo thinly sliced onions, softened without browning, give the sauce body, as in beef with onions. Cumin brings warmth, sweet paprika the color, and cayenne pepper and Tabasco the heat. These three spices are also the base of a homemade chili powder, but here each one is measured separately.\n\n\n\nFor pre-dinner drinks, beef nachos to share\n\n\n\nThe bell pepper is what makes the difference. Roasted in the oven until the skin blackens, then peeled and diced, it adds a slightly smoky sweetness. Plain white rice goes alongside the chili and tames the heat; yellow rice with butter and garlic works too.\n\n\n\nTechnique Pointers for a Good Chili con Carne\n\n\n\nSweat the onions without letting them brown before adding the spices, bell pepper, beans and meat. Then allow at least an hour of simmering, covered, over low heat, ideally three: the heat mellows and the sauce thickens. Stir from time to time so it doesn\u2019t stick to the bottom.\n\n\n\nThe same slow cooking gives its charm to Mexican shredded beef and beef rendang, two other beef dishes that benefit from a long simmer.\n\n\n\nAnother warming American dish: mac and cheese\n\n\n\nAt the table, serve the chili with the rice. Homemade guacamole and grated Gruy\u00e8re can round out the bowl for anyone who wants them. To keep the meal going, beef tacos or a beef and bean stir-fry follow the same idea of a hearty beef dish.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Chili con Carne\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tRoasted Bell Pepper0.5 red bell pepperChili2 onionsA little oil1 level teaspoon cumin1 teaspoon paprika0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper250 g kidney beans (canned, net drained weight, or 1 small can)350 g steak (ground)800 g tomatoes (canned peeled, net weight, or 1 large can)6 drops TabascoSalt12 cl rice, (for serving)\t\n\t\n\t\tRoasted Bell PepperRemove the seeds and white membrane from the bell pepper half.Place the pepper half on a baking sheet, skin side up.Put it under the oven broiler until the skin blackens.Let it cool to room temperature.Peel off the blackened skin.Dice the flesh and set aside.ChiliSlice the onions very thinly.Drain the kidney beans.Heat the oil in a saut\u00e9 pan.Sweat the onions in it, stirring, without letting them brown.Once they soften, add the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, diced bell pepper, beans, and ground steak.Mix well to distribute the spices through the meat.When the meat starts to cook, pour in the peeled tomatoes with their juice.Roughly crush the tomatoes with a fork, right in the pan.Pour in the Tabasco.Season with salt.Cover and cook over low heat for at least 1 hour, ideally 3 hours.Stir from time to time throughout the cooking.Serve the chili with the rice.\t\n\t\n\t\tThis is family-style chili con carne the way it\u2019s made in France: ground beef, kidney beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, cumin, and chili pepper, simmered in a single saut\u00e9 pan.\nTo serve, you can also offer homemade guacamole and grated Gruy\u00e8re in addition to the rice.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tPlat principalAm\u00e9ricaine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}