They are not hot at all and impart a lovely chocolate and smoke note to the chilli. If you like your chilli con carne hot, you will want to add some fresh green chilli to your own taste. You can also use the Ancho chillies to make a chilli cream Chilli con Carne with Mexican dried chillies 2 or 3 Ancho dried chilli es – 1 T olive oil – 1 large onion, finely chopped – 30g smoked bacon, finely chopped – 4 00g beef mince – 1 T chopped fresh oregano or 1t dried – 1 t ground cumin – 2 large clove s of garlic, crushed – fresh chopped chilli – 400 ml tomato passata or a tin of chopped tomatoes – 1 tin of red kidney beans . drained – salt and black pepper Toast the Ancho chillies for a few seconds in a hot dry pan, but do not burn them – this brings out the flavour. Remove the stem and the seeds and then soak them in some water for half an hour. They will soften a little. Fry the onions in the oil with a good pinch of salt, till soft, then add bacon and fry, then the beef and fry quickly until it is brown . Add the oregano, cumin, garlic and chilli and stir quickly to blend. Add the passata and the beans . Remove the chillies from the water and chop finely. Add to the pot with some of the soaking water. At this point you may want to add some fresh chilli for heat , then season and simmer until the beef is tender. Add a little water if it needs more moisture during cooking. Adjust the seasoning and serve with boiled rice and a tomato and onion salsa. Top with guacamole and sour cream

This makes four to five large servings. Double the recipe if serving more  
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[Author: John, Lynne Ford]