Chili con Carne

Chilli paste

• dried ancho chillies4
• dried guajillo chillies3
• dried chipotle chillies2
• beef stock500 ml

Stew

• beef chuck1.3 kg
• vegetable oil2 tbsp
• onions2
• garlic6 clove
• ground cumin1 tbsp
• dried oregano2 tsp
• beef stock500 ml
• masa harina2 tbsp
• cider vinegar1 tbsp
• dark brown sugar1 tsp
• salt2 tsp
• black pepper
• water4 tbsp

To serve

• soured cream150 g
• fresh coriander3 tbsp
• limes1

Chilli paste

1. 01

   Pull the stems off the dried chillies (ancho, guajillo and chipotle), shake out the seeds and tear them open flat. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and press the flattened chillies down in it for about 30 seconds a side, until they smell sweet and toasty and turn pliable. Watch them closely. A chilli that darkens or smokes has burnt, and burnt chilli makes the whole pot bitter.

2. 02

   Put the toasted chillies in a bowl, bring 500 ml of the beef stock to the boil, pour it over and weigh them down with a saucer. Leave for 20 minutes until completely soft.

3. 03

   Blend the chillies with their soaking liquid to a smooth, dark red paste. Set aside.

Stew

4. 04

   Chop the onions and crush the garlic. Cut the beef chuck into 3 cm cubes, pat them dry and season with 1½ teaspoons of the salt. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat and brown the cubes in three or four batches, leaving each batch undisturbed for 1 minute at a time so it takes real colour. Crowding the pan makes the meat steam instead, and you lose the browned base the whole dish is built on.

5. 05

   Lift out the beef. Turn the heat to medium, add the onions and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and golden, scraping up the stuck brown bits as they release.

6. 06

   Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.

7. 07

   Return the beef with any juices, pour in the chilli paste and the remaining 500 ml beef stock, and bring to a bare simmer. The liquid should just cover the meat.

8. 08

   Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer very gently for 2½ to 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until the beef gives way completely when pressed with a spoon and the fat has risen to the surface in an orange slick.

9. 09

   Whisk the masa harina with the water and stir it in. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the meat rather than pool around it.

10. 10

    Stir in the vinegar and sugar, then taste and season with the rest of the salt, if needed, and the pepper. Leave it to sit off the heat for 15 minutes. Chop the coriander and cut the lime into wedges, then serve it with the soured cream, coriander and lime wedges.