Chilli Con Carne

The recipe comes from Jo' Pratt (Nation's Favourite Food) and the original source can be found on the BBC at: BBC Food. We've added it to our site because it's very good and we don't want to lose it!

Information

Serves 6-8

Preparation time less than 30 mins

Cooking time 1 to 2 hours

Best prepared 1 or 2 days in advance

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1kg/2¼lb lean minced beef

2 glasses red wine

2x400g cans chopped tomatoes

3 tbsp tomato purée

2 red chillies, thinly sliced, or 3-4 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 stick cinnamon

good shake of Worcestershire sauce

1 beef stock cube

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2x400g can red kidney beans, drained

1 large bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

wedges of lime, to serve

If you're adding it to Nachos...

You'll also need

A big bag of corn chips (we like the cheese flavoured ones)

Mozzarella cheese

Guacamole (Puree: fresh avocado, squeeze of lemon, dash of tabasco, salt, black pepper)

Salsa (Dice fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, dash of olive oil, pinch of paprika)

Creme Fraiche (sour cream)

Method for Nachos

Pre-heat oven to 180c

Re-heat the previous day's Chilli Con Carne in a saucepan and add to a large flat glass dish

Top with alternate layers of corn chips and Mozzarella cheese

Place in the oven until the cheese has melted

Serve with Guacamole, Salsa and Creme Fraiche

Goes great with a few beers and a movie for the ultimate night in!

Nachos with Chilli Con Carne

Method

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Increase the heat and add the mince, cooking quickly until browned and breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon. Pour in the red wine and boil for 2-3 minutes. While waiting, pour a glass for yourself.

Stir in the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, fresh chilli or chilli flakes, cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, and Worcestershire sauce and crumble in the stock cube. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened.

Add the kidney beans and fresh coriander. Cook for a further 10 minutes, uncovered, before removing from the heat, adding any extra seasoning if necessary.

This is ideal served with lime wedges, crusty bread or jacket potatoes, guacamole, sour cream and a big green salad.

Serving suggestion:

The chilli is uncomparably better a day or two after it's cooked as the flavours develop and the texture becomes richer. Let it cool, stick in the fridge and gently heat on the day you are serving it.