Chili con carne

Chili is one of those dishes that everyone has a variation on and is great for an easy and quick to prepare dinner with friends. Add a little homemade salsa (see other recipes), some grated cheese (cheddar works well), sour cream and some tortilla chips for a dipping fest or serve with rice and salad for a main meal. You can also use the recipe as a filler for enchiladas or stuffed peppers.

Great for sharing!

Serves: 4-6 as a main course

Time to prepare/cook: 5 minutes to prepare ingredients, 25-30 minutes to cook

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Ingredients

• 400-500g fresh lean beef mince

• 1 medium to large onion

• 3 large tomatoes chopped roughly or a tin of crushed tomatoes (around 400g)

• 50g concentrated tomato paste

• I tin cooked red kidney beans (around 400g)

• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, or 1 garlic clove, chopped finely

• 2 teaspoons of chili con carne spice (add a little more if you want it very spicy, but taste as you go)

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil to cook

• Optional sides and toppings: Rice, tortilla chips, salad, fresh salsa, grated cheese, sour cream

• Pots & pans needed: 1 large frying pan, chopping board

Method

• Chop the onion and tomatoes (if using fresh ones) roughly

• Add the onion and olive oil to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes over a medium heat (6 on a scale of 1 to 9)

• Add the minced beef to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until all the meat is lightly browned (5 to 10 minutes)

• Add the tomatoes (tinned or fresh), tomato paste, crushed garlic, kidney beans and chili spice and stir until well mixed, then add the coriander and mix in

• Once the chili is bubbling gently turn down the heat one level (5 on scale of 1 to 9) and allow it to simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chili is well cooked through and the flavours have blended; check to see if more spice is needed and add if necessary

• Serve and enjoy!