It is Friday and the end of the working week. I started this morning by sending messages to my friends who are young mothers saying I am thinking of them and then wishing them a restful weekend. But I know that being a mother with young children means you hardly get time off. Actually as a mother with older adult children, life doesn’t get any less busy, and that’s why I seldom make long-winded dishes. I am reviewing several thick cheffy cookbooks I have, long-ago gifts from friends that thought if anyone can cook like this (i.e. these chefs) it would be me. One day, I thought, and that one day never really came.
What comes round each week is Friday. I thought something along the lines of minced beef and beans, so easy to procure, might be ok. As ever, a packet of ready-cooked beans from Merchant Gourmet is a steady help and time saver. As there are two ripe avocados on the counter, I am leaning towards chilli con carne.
There are three types of chilli heat that go into the dish: hot paprika, ancho chilli flakes and a fresh Scotch bonnet chilli. Use less of any type of chilli, and substitute sweet paprika for the hot paprika, to make the dish milder.
I don’t have a recipe but having cooked a version of this enough times during student days and when I was a young mother, I can probably make up something with the store cupboard ingredients I have to hand. I didn’t have any cherry tomatoes/ sweet peppers for the salad so used some radishes instead.
For the Chilli:
500 g minced beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
150 g onion, chopped
15 g garlic, chopped
1 red chilli
30 g fresh coriander, stems and leaves separated
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ – 1 teaspoon paprika (sweet or hot)
½ – 1 teaspoon ancho chilli flakes
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
large punch of caster sugar
2 x 400 g chopped tomatoes (I use Mutti brand)
1 packet ready-cooked black turtle beans (240 g)
OR
1 x 400 g can black or kidney beans, drained
For the Side Salad:
Lettuce leaves (Little Gem or Iceberg)
1 – 2 ripe avocadoes
Coriander leaves
1 – 2 limes
A few sliced cherry tomatoes / sweet peppers for colour (optional)
How to Make:
Heat the oil in a saucepan large enough to hold all the ingredients. I used a Le Creuset casserole.
Fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes, then add in the fresh chilli and coriander stems. Fry for around one minute.
Add the minced beef, using the back of a flat wooden spoon to break up the meat. Fry until the meat has browned and cooked through.
Add the cumin, paprika, chilli flakes, salt and sugar. Stir the spices through the meat, then add the tomatoes.
Place a lid on the pot, bring the heat down and simmer the meat for 20 minutes.
Add the beans, give everything a stir and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how soft you like your beans.
I would serve this with white rice (for extra interest, we add 1 tablespoon of millet and 1 tablespoon of red/black quinoa to every 1 cup/ 150 g of rice) and the salad. If you are not worried about your cholesterol level, then some sour cream and grated cheddar cheese would make a fine additional topping.
A hearty pot of beef chilli for Friday night dinner
