Name: Chilli con carne
Total time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Ingredients: 1 large onion; 2 large cloves garlic crushed; olive oil; 500g good quality or aged minced beef; 3 tsp chipotle powder or paste; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 250ml red wine; 20g 70% dark chocolate; 4 semi-dried tomatoes chopped; vegetable stock cube; 2 x 400g tins kidney beans; red pepper cut into chunks (optional)

Wooden bowl of chilli con carne topped with avocado, coriander and lime wedges

1 large onion
2 large cloves garlic
crushed
olive oil
500g good quality or aged minced beef
3 tsp chipotle powder or paste
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
250ml red wine
20g 70% dark chocolate
4 semi-dried tomatoes
chopped
vegetable stock cube
2 x 400g tins kidney beans
red pepper
cut into chunks (optional)

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas4. Gently fry the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy based casserole. Turn up the heat and add the mince and fry until evenly browned and you have a light crust on the bottom of the pan. Add the chipotle, spices and dried oregano, then cook for 1 minute until the meat is well coated.
step 2
Add the purée, chopped tomatoes, wine, chocolate, semi-dried tomatoes, stock cube and kidney beans. (You can use less or no wine if you prefer, just use water instead, plus a small splash of vinegar or lemon juice.) Put in the oven with a lid on for at least 1 hour 30 minutes. Add the peppers (if using) for the last 30 minutes – you may need to add a touch of water at this stage as well.
step 3
Serve with quinoa, iceberg lettuce, avocado salsa (or guacamole), fresh coriander and a dash of Tabasco.