Chilli con Carne

Method

1. Set a dry heavy frying pan over a medium heat and toast 2 ancho chillies and 1 guajillo chilli for about 40 seconds a side, pressing them flat, until they smell nutty and puff slightly — do not let them blacken or the sauce turns bitter. Tear off the stems, shake out the seeds, and cover the chillies with just-boiled water. Soak 20 minutes until fully pliable.
2. Lift the soaked chillies into a small blender with 4 tablespoons of the soaking liquid and blend to a smooth, brick-red paste. Scrape it out and set aside; discard the remaining soaking water if it tastes harsh.
3. Pat 175 g of diced beef chuck dry and season it with half of the 0.5 tsp of salt. Melt 1 tbsp of dripping in a small heavy casserole over a high heat and brown the beef in a single uncrowded layer, about 3 minutes a side, until deeply crusted. Lift the meat out onto a plate.
4. Drop the heat to medium-low and cook 1 finely chopped small onion in the beef fat for 6 minutes until soft and translucent, scraping up the browned bits. Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 tsp of ground cumin and 0.5 tsp of dried oregano, crumbling the oregano between your fingers, and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.