Recipes: Habanero

The first thing to say about Chilli Con Carne is that it is not, strictly speaking a Mexican dish. What we now know today as Chilli Con Carne is a bastardised version of what was served as free food in Mexican drinking establishments in the 1800s as a way of prolonging the drinkers' stay so they would spend more on booze. The previous days left-overs were recooked using spices and chilli. The dish became american-ised in Texas and became an important part of Tex-Mex cuisine. A good Chilli Con Carne takes time and should be cooked slowly. In our recipe we use Chipotle chillies to impart their deep smokey aroma and flavour and Habanero chillies to provide a good strong chilli heat.

Salsa Fresca is what most of us in the UK think of as "Salsa". Home made Salsa is always the best because all the flavours are fresh and you can choose the texture and your preferred level of heat - we always like it a little bit chunkier and hotter than you can buy in the shops and our Habanero chillies never disappoint on heat or flavour. A nice chunky salsa is easy to make and a perfect accompaniment for all of our meal recipes.