Chilli con carne

Serves 6

2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil

500–725g(18oz – 1 1/2lbs) stewing meat (beef, veal, mutton or pork), cut into 1–2 cm (1/2 – 3/4 inch) cubes

225g(8oz) onions, chopped

2–3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced

300ml(10fl oz/1 1/4 cups) homemade beef stock or water

1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) tomato purée

1 teaspoon ground cumin

250g(9oz) red kidney beans, cooked

flaky sea salt and brown sugar

Colorado Sauce

6–7 small dried chillies or 4–5 large fresh ones

1 large red pepper, deseeded

1 large onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, peeled

seasalt

1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) chipotle chilli in adobo sauce (optional)

Guacamole

1 ripe avocado (Hass if available)

1–2 tablespoons (1 1/4 – 2 1/2 American tablespoons) freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) chopped coriander or flat-leaf parsley

freshlyground black pepper

Tomato and Coriander Salsa

4 very ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) chopped red or white onion

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2–1 red or green chilli, such as Jalapeño or Serrano, deseeded and finely chopped

1–2 tablespoons (1 1/4 – 2 1/2 American tablespoons) chopped coriander

a squeeze of organic lime juice

flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar

To Serve

125g(4 1/2oz) soured cream

125g(4 1/2oz) Cheddar cheese, grated

a generous handful of fresh coriander leaves

36–40 tortilla chips

Start with the Colorado sauce.

If the chillies are dried, soak them in a little water for an hour, thenslit them and wash out the seeds. Discard the stalks and do the same with the red pepper. Purée all the sauce ingredients in a food processor, adding a little of the chilli soaking water if necessary.If you are using fresh chillies, you might need to add a tablespoon or two of cold water. Season to taste with salt. Add the chilli in adobo sauce, if using.

Heat a splash of extra virgin olive oil in a large casserole over a high heat and brown the meat in batches. Remove to a plate. Add the onion,reduce the heat to medium and fry for 4-5 minutes until soft and just beginning to colour. Add the crushed garlic and continue to cook fora minute or two. Return the meat to the pan and add the green pepper and Colorado sauce. Pour in just enough stock or water to barely cover the ingredients. Cover the pan tightly with a lid and simmer gently over a low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked and the sauce has reduced to a thick, brownish-red sauce.Check the liquid occasionally and if it seems to be reducing too quickly reduce the heat further and top up with water.

Add the tomato purée, cumin and cooked kidney beans. Season with salt and brown sugar. Simmer for a further 15 minutes.

Meanwhile,make the guacamole.

Scoop out the flesh from the avocado and mash it with a fork. Add the lime juice, olive oil and chopped coriander or parsley, and season to taste with black pepper. If you are not serving immediately, cover the surface with a layer of clingfilm and chill until needed.

Tomake the tomato and coriander salsa, mix all of the ingredients together and season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar.

To serve, put a blob of soured cream on top of the chilli, sprinkle with the grated cheese and garnish with some fresh coriander. Accompany with the tortilla chips, guacamole and tomato salsa.

Taken from One Pot Feeds All by Darina Allen published by Kyle Books

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