Chili Con Carne- always better on the second day

Have been hopping in and out Mexican restaurants quite often lately and my darling happens to love one of Hernan Cortez's captains' dish - Chili Con Carne. For about a week now that I was on a hunt for a recipe, for ONE recipe. To my surprise, none of recipe are the same. The variant recipes provoke dispute among aficionados, which is probably why chili is a frequent dish for cook offs. Chili in the traditional  recipes are made using mainly chili peppers, garlic, onions, cumin along with chopped beef. Beans and tomato were added later to the recipe on which created different opinions and preferences.

So after all the readings and researching I decided to create my own version.With chocolate in it. Oh! did I mention chocolate!? This version of chili has mild spicy end note, with reminiscent of Mole, the flavors are rich, mellow and deep. Here we go!

My version of Chili. Served with grated Cheddar & Tortilla chips

Chili Con Carne
makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil                                  
100 grams smoked bacon, chopped                    
150 grams fresh spicy Italian sausage,casings removed                                                
250 grams ground beef                                      
1 medium onion, chopped                                  
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped                
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped                            
1 jalapeno, finely chopped                                    
1 tablespoon chili powder                                  
1 tablespoon paprika powder                                
1 tablespoon cumin powder                                
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon hot sauce (Tabasco, etc)
1 can 14 ounces diced tomato
1 can 15 ounces kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup low sodium beef stock
1/2 cup water
6 ounces lager beer
30 grams unsweetened  chocolate
1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional )
salt & black pepper to taste
1 cup cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

break up sausage into bite size

Let's begin.
Directions:
- Heat a large, deep pot over medium heat. Add vegetable oil and bacon, fry until crisp. Dry on paper towel and set aside.
- Remove some excess oil and brown sausage. Break them up in bite size. Once brown, remove from pot. Then brown the beef. When done put together with the cooked sausage. Set aside.
- Add garlic, stir until fragrance then add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno. Stir until onion soft about 3-4 minutes.
-Add beer and all meat with its juice bring to boil for couple of minute.

simmer uncovered for at least 2 hours

- Add beef broth, tomato paste, diced tomato, and all spices bring to boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer uncover for at least 2 hours. Add water if it becomes too dry.

Serve in a deep bowl with grated cheddar cheese topping and tortilla chips.
You can serve it right away or also best to keep them in the fridge, reheat and serve in couple of days.