Sorry I haven't been uploading onto this blog recently lads and ladies but unfortunately your uncle Ted has been a bit weighed down by work and hasn't really seen any movies recently. Hopefully something about pop culture to stimulate the brain will pop up soon but until then we have this healthy and simple recipe I have to impart on you guys for some marvellous chilli con carne.
Make this if you've got a dinner party coming up or if you're a bit low on the monies and have to make something in bulk to last you for the week but either way we're on to some fine dining here and for a low budget to boot. Don't say I never care about you lot.
Ingredients (serves 4 or makes 4 individual meals):
1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1x 440 tin or carton of tomato passata
400-500g of minced beef or quorn vegetarian mince
400g tin of red kidney beans
2 x large red peppers
4-5x green and/or red chillies
1 x large yellow or orange pepper
1 x large or 2 x medium of brown onions
2-4x cloves of garlic
1-2x sticks of cinnamon (optional)
olive oil
1 tablespoon chilli or curry powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2x bay leaves
1x handful of parsley
1x bunch of thyme
a couple pinches of salt
Utensils/tools:
1x large saucepan/pot with lid
1x heatproof ladle
1x vegetable cutting board
1x vegetable cutting knife
1x garlic crusher
1x small knife sharp enough for chopping the herbs
1x tablespoon for measuring out the spices
1x wooden spoon for stirring
1x teaspoon for deseeding the chillies
Method:
Step 1: place the saucepan/pot onto the hob and splash in some oil. skin and dice up the onion and crush up the garlic while heating the pot on the lowest possible heat then chuck in the onions and turn up the heat slightly and simmer with a pinch of salt for 5 mins before adding in the garlic and stirring.
Step 2: chuck in the mince meat or quorn mince depending on your dietary disposition and break the mince up while putting up the heat slightly and stir around with a tiny bit more oil until most if not all, of the mince is browned.
Step 3: Deseed, wash with cold water then slice up the chillies and peppers and chuck into the pot. Drain the kidney beans in a colander or sieve then add into the pot along with the cinnamon sticks while occasionally stirring for about 10 mins.
Step 4: Chuck in the passata and chopped tinned tomatoes into the pot and stir then add in the paprika and chilli powder along with another pinch of salt and stir again. Place the lid back on then turn down to a low heat to simmer while preparing the herbs.
Step 5: Wash the bay leaves and place into the pot as they are. Wash then dash up the parsley and wring the thyme off its stalks then place both herbs into the chilli con carne and simmer for another 10 mins.
Step 6: Serve the chilli con carne with the ladle onto a bed of either cous cous or brown rice with a side addition of a small dollop of yoghurt (optional of course) and grated cheddar (again, entirely optional) and with a glass of water and a cup of black tea with a slice of lemon.
Like I said above, this is great at dinner parties when you have not too many resources or big ideas of what to make for the main meal. If you are serving it for the main meal then perhaps serve after a starter of soup or salad and before a light pudding of something like ice cream or light fruit pudding or fruit salad with yoghurt. Another bit of advice I would give is to perhaps make this the day before you're planning to eat it so that the flavour has a small amount of time to simmer down and mature at which point it will taste marvellous especially with a dollop of yoghurt and brown rice or cous cous.
Again, I apologise for the lacklustre uploading recently but that is the lot of life on this part of the internet I am afraid. Alas I must leave you all again but hopefully this cheap and healthy and hearty recipe will help all you lot out for a romantic meal, bustling dinner party or busy week and until next time, have fun with whatever you're doing, don't do anything I wouldn't do and until next time I raise my cup to your good health!
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