Chilli con carne

This is classic comfort food in our home. The dish is wonderfully aromatic and with just the right amount of kick to awaken any palate. I sometimes substitute, to a great degree of success, the steak mince with turkey mince for a lighter taste. 

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow pepper, chopped
380g organic round steak mince
400g chopped tomatoes
300g tomato passata
2 tbsp chilli powder
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp coarse sea salt
cheddar cheese, grated

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan/skillet.
2. Fry onion until tender
3. Brown the meat then stir in the peppers.
4. Cook until meat is completely brown, stirring occasionally.
5. Add in the chilli powder and mix through.
6. Add in the chopped tomatoes and passata.
7. Add in the other spices and mix through.
8. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
9. Add a bit of water or milk if the mixture gets too thick.
10. In the meantime, cook the rice.
11. When the chilli is to taste, combine garlic and salt to mixture.
12. Add in cheese, turn up the heat.
13. Once the cheese is melted through, turn off the heat and plate.
14. Top off with more cheese and serve with wholegrain basmati rice.

The cheese at the end is optional but certainly adds more depth to the flavour. I have also tried a dollop of sour cream or fromage frais, particularly when I use finger chillies or more cayenne pepper. Delicious!

This dish keeps very well. The flavours intensify overnight, making for great leftovers!