I’m entering a chili cook-off

Just in case you missed it, I wrote a blog about chilli con carne – mmmmmmmm – over at Village Voices last week (http://blogs.kidspot.com.au/villagevoices/chilli-con-carne-3-ways/).

I’m entering the main recipe in Rantings of An Amateur Chef’s Chili Cook-off. The Ranting Chef writes a blog filled with weird and wonderful recipes like this one, called Red, White and Blueberry.

I’m a bit in awe of the Ranting Chef, he’s only been blogging since February and his site’s already had 150,000 hits, plus he’s got 3815 subscribers (including me). It can’t hurt to try and get a piece of that action ….

Here’s what he says about his Chili Cook-off: “For the last 11 January’s, I have hosted a chili cook-off. We typically have between 8 and 15 chilis and every attendee votes on each chili. Therefore, the winning chili is always one built for mass appeal and not to the refined tastes of professional chili judges.

“I hate to admit that I have only won my own cook-off once. My favorite chili is one without beans and is hot enough to peel the paint off the walls. Because of this, I get some good comments but people want their beans and not to have a mouth on fire. The one year I won, I tried to make chili that was very middle of the road and without any unusual tastes or textures.”

I’m not sure an Aussie has a chance at winning a chili cook-off – and whether mine is “built for mass appeal”or “refined tastes”, but I’ll let you know if I score a mention.

Try my recipe and let me know if you think it’s a winner.

Recipe: slow-cooker chilli con carne

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1kg beef mince
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 800g can crushed tomatoes
• 800g can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• Steamed rice, sour cream, freshly chopped coriander leaves and grated tasty cheese to serve

METHOD: Heat oil in a frying pan and saute onion and garlic until soft. Add mince, cumin and smoked paprika and cook mince, stirring and breaking up, until browned. Transfer to slow-cooker. Stir in oregano, beef stock, tomato paste and tinned tomatoes. Cook, covered, on low for 8 hours. Serve with rice, sour cream, freshly chopped coriander leaves and grated tasty cheese.