Chilli con Carne

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

ingredients

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

500g Simon Howie steak mince

1 beef stock cube

150ml red wine (optional)

1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp fresh or dried oregano

1 tbsp light brown sugar

400g can chopped tomatoes

50g dark chocolate, chopped

2 tbsp tomato purée

400g can red kidney beans

Plain boiled long grain rice, to serve

Sour cream, to serve

Fresh parsley, to garnish

Method

1. Prepare the vegetables onion, pepper, and garlic cloves.
2. Place a small pan on the hob, and heat 1 tbsp oil over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until hot.
3. Add the onion and soften in the oil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the garlic and peppers, and stir for another 2-3 minutes.
5. In a large pan, brown 500g of Simon Howie steak mince on a fairly high heat, breaking down into small pieces with a spatula until evenly cooked.
6. Crumble the stock cube into 300ml hot water and add the stock and the red wine to the pan with the mince.
7. Transfer the onion, garlic and peppers to the mince.
8. Add the chopped tomatoes, followed by the dried marjoram, sugar, chocolate, chilli powder, paprika, ground cumin and a bit of salt and pepper to season. Squeeze in the tomato purée and stir the mixture well.
9. Bring to the boil, mix well and put the lid on the pan. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally to avoid catching the base of the pan.
10. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the mixture looks too dry, as it should look rich and thick in consistency.
11. Drain and rinse the kidney beans, add to the chilli pot and stir. Bring to the boil again, remove the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes.
12. Taste and season. The spices here have been used sparingly so add a little more to kick the heat up a gear!
13. Replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving to let the flavours settle.
14. Garnish with a few sprigs of parsley and serve with sour cream and rice.