A quick chili con carne: ground beef with peppers and chilli beans in a rich tomato sauce, ready in just over 25 minutes. Season it to taste with paprika, cumin and chilli flakes, and sour cream, tortilla chips and grated cheese come standard on the side. For Halloween, every bowl gets spooky toes made from small smoked sausages with an onion toenail on top; extra portions of chili freeze well.
Halloween chili con carne with toes
Toe Chili
Halloween chili con carne with toes
Toe Chili
Method
01
Cook the base
Peel and finely chop the onions and mince the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent.
02
Toast the spices
Stir in the paprika, cumin and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03
Brown the beef
Add the beef and cook until browned, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula.
04
Add the pepper
Add the pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
05
Simmer
Add the chilli beans and chopped tomatoes, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Season with salt. Keep the chili on the lowest heat while you make the toes.
06
Make the toes
Cut a small, shallow wedge from one end of each sausage: that is the nail bed. Slice the onion thinly, cut nail-sized pieces and press them into the notch. Score shallow lines on the sausage with a sharp knife for the toe's wrinkles.
07
Warm the toes
Place the toes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and grill them under a hot broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sausage is warm and the onion softens at the edges.
08
Serve
Ladle the chili into bowls. Top each portion with 1 to 2 toes, nail side up, and serve with sour cream, tortilla chips and grated cheese.
Tips & notes
Use canned beans with little added salt and rinse them well. Sour cream, tortilla chips and grated cheese contain milk.
Chef's tip
Toast the spices briefly with the onion and garlic before adding the tomato: it brings out more flavour. You make the toes on the day itself.
Variations
- Extra spicy: add a finely chopped red chilli or extra chilli flakes.
- Vegetarian: replace the ground beef with a vegetarian mince substitute or extra beans.
- With rice or in a wrap: the chili is also great served with rice or in a tortilla wrap.
Contains:
Milk
