Rocoto chillies can be as large as a cricket ball, as hot as the hottest birdeye (over 100,000 SHU), with purple flowers and black seeds.
I love most versions of chili con carne. I also love cooking it and I have my own recipe that I call Rocoto Con Carne made with the rare and unusual chilli pepper from Bolivia. Today I made the chicken version but this recipe can be cooked with beef, pork, or even quorn and you’ll get great results.
One of the most emotionally-charged subjects when discussing chilli con carne is whether to cook it with beans or not. The “International Chili Society” is an entire movement devoted to finding and promoting the best chili recipe’s… so long as they contain no pasta and no beans. I’m definitely in the no-beans camp but you’ll find chick peas in this one. Also, don’t be afraid to mix up the type of fresh chile peppers you use when you cook this. With me it depends on what I’m picking.
Rocoto Con Carne ingredients
500 grams of boneless chicken breasts (or pork or beef or quorn)
2 large fresh green chillies
1 large fresh Poblano seeded
2 red Jalapeno’s
2 large Rocoto chillies
1 large red onion
3 cloves of garlic
100 grams of tomato puree double concentrate
1 large tablespoon dried oregano
400 grams of chick peas
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 large tablespoons paprika
1/2 a teaspoon Garlic Salt (or regular salt)
1 generous teaspoon of honey
1 chipotle chilli
One teaspoon Cumin
1 bottle of Cave Creek Chili Beer (or Corona)
1 dollop of red wine
Jamacan Jerk seasoning
Black pepper
25 grams of good quality dark chocolate
Chop and de-seed the chillies. Peel and chop the onions and garlic. Chop the chicken into small chunks and season with the Jamaican Jerk Seasoning.
Fry the chillies, onions, and garlic together in good quality olive oil for several minutes. Dissolve the chicken bouillon cube in one cup boiling water. Add the chicken broth to the frying pan with the vegetables. Bring to a boil in the frying pan for about one minute and then decant everything into your slow cooker.
Fry the chicken pieces in olive oil then decant these into the slow cooker.
Chop your chipotle chilli into bits and add to a cup of boiling water. Leave for 20 minutes then add the water only to your slow cooker straining the chilli.
Drain the water from the chick peas and add them to the slow cooker.
Add the whole bottle of Cave Creek Chili Beer, including the Serrano chilli, to the slow cooker. Add oregano, honey, cumin, and the dark chocolate. Add a generous dollop of red wine. I use my father-in-law’s homemade stuff which is fantastic.
Cook on the high setting of your slow cooker for one hour then turn to the low setting for two additional hours. Add masa flour as needed to thicken and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a baked potato, by itself, on top of a chilli dog, or the way Lyndon Baines Johnson, 37th President of the United States, enjoyed his chilli con carne, with a glass of milk and some saltine crackers.
