Sunday nights used to be Daddy’s turn to cook. We would be served either Spaghetti Bolognese or Chili con carne… for us kids it was the highlight of our week!
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 1 red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder (or 1 level tbsp if you only have mild)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 500gr lean minced beef
- 1 beef stock cube
- 400gr can chopped tomatoes
- ½ tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 410gr can red kidney beans
- plain boiled long grain rice, to serve
- soured cream, to serve
Directions
- Chop one large onion into small dice.
- Cut 1 red pepper in half lengthways, remove stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop. Finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
- Start cooking. Over a medium heat 1 tbsp oil and wait for 1-2 minutes until hot.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft, squidgy and slightly translucent.
- Tip in the garlic, red pepper, 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder or 1 level tbsp mild chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin.
- Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Brown 500gr lean minced beef. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince.
- Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
- Make the sauce. Crumble 1 beef stock cube into 300ml hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture.
- Add a 400gr can of chopped tomatoes. Tip in ½ tsp dried marjoram, 1 tsp sugar and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
- Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes.
- Check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
- Drain and rinse a 410gr can of red kidney beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry.
- Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think.
- Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving. This is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle.
- Serve with sour cream and plain boiled long grain rice.
