Is it still Chilli con carne if there is no Chilli??

You can’t beat a good bowl of Chilli con carne – it’s just flashed up mince really isn’t it? Jamie Oliver has a great recipe in his Ministry of Food book which includes celery and carrots so a great way to get some more veg into Izzy. The latest Rachel Allen book also has a recipe although with considerably fewer ingredients and although in my eyes it doesn’t quite match Jamie’s effort it is still a worthy contender. Matched with some well cooked rice (Rachel’s recipe to follow), a scoop of home made gucamole and a dollop of sour cream – a delicious family dinner!

Chilli con carne (courtesy of Rachel Allen – Home Cooking)

Ingredients:-

2 Tbsp olive oil

700g minced beef

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 red or yellow peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped

3 red or green chillies, deseeded (optional) and finely chopped (I left these out to make it child friendly)

2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

1 Tbsp tomato puree

salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 x 400g tin of kidney beans, drained

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp brown sugar

Pour the olive oil into a large casserole dish or saucepan (ovenproof and with a lid, if cooking in the oven) on a high heat. Working in batches, sear the meat quickly until well browned. Remove each batch with a slotted spoon and set aside (I actually skipped this process and chucked it all in together). Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and garlic, cover with a lid and gently fry for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.

Return the meat to the casserole dish or pan and add the peppers, chillies, tomatoes, tomato puree and some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid, reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until the meat is nice and tender and the sauce has thickened a little. Alternatively, cook in the oven, preheated to 150C for an hour.

When the meat is cooked, add the remaining ingredients and leave to simmer, uncovered, on a low-medium heat for a further 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Now I am always looking for a better way to cook rice – once again Jamie has a great method that involves a quick boil and then steaming however Rachel’s is a quick boil and then into the oven. The results are delicious – I did add a knob of butter as suggested and it was totally worth every calorie!

Rice (courtesy of Rachel A)

Ingredients:-

450g white rice, such as basmati

1 tsp salt

15g butter

Preheat the oven to 140C. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the rice and salt, give the pan a stir, cover with a lid and boil for 4-5 minutes or until the rice is nearly cooked but still has a tiny bite.

Drain the rice and place in a serving dish. Stir in the butter, cover and put in the oven for at least 15 minutes. When ready to eat, fluff up the rice with a fork and serve.

It’s good, it’s really good!!

Finally, I made what must be my first ever gucamole and I have sworn never to buy pre-made again. A quick whirr of the blender, a squeeze of lime and some chopped tomatoes and spring onions – so much better. The down side is that Izzy definitely does not like the ‘green stuff’ and is partial to some regurgitation if it is snuck onto a spoonful….I think that is probably a pretty clear sign that she is not a fan of avocado!