Chilli con Carne with Cheesy Crust
Introduction
This has a nice little zing, but you can make it spicier by adding more chilli powder. Choose meaty sausages, not cheap ones with fillers and fat. Without the mash topping, this is great on jacket potatoes.
Serves: 6 or more
Ingredients
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
Olive oil
1 Tbsp muscovado or brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 piece cinnamon stick
750g (about 1½ pounds) coarsely ground minced beef (ground topside)
2 x 400g (2 x 14 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato concentrate (UK tomato purée)
1 Tbsp malt vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1¼ tsp salt
250g (about 8 ounces) fresh chorizo or spicy sausages
2 x 400g (2 x 14 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
To serve, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and parsley or coriander leaves (cilantro), avocado slices or guacamole, lime wedges, sliced fresh chilli (all optional), or if topping the chilli with mash, broccoli for serving
Potato & parsnip mash
1 kg (2 lb) floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
500g (1 lb) parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 Tbsp butter
1½ cups grated vintage cheddar cheese
¼ cup crushed panko crumbs
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°C). Cook the onions slowly in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large casserole for about 15-20 minutes, until browned; stir often. Stir in the sugar and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are golden. Stir in the garlic, chilli powder, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, paprika and the cinnamon stick. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then turn off the heat.
2 Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over high heat until hazing. Add minced meat in clumps, and fry without stirring until nicely browned on one side. Turn over the meat, brown lightly, tilt the pan to drain, then transfer the meat to the casserole. Stir the tomatoes, tomato concentrate and vinegar and ¾ cup of water into the casserole ingredients, then add oregano, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a gentle boil, cover with a lid, then transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hour.
3 Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-sized frying pan (skillet) and fry the sausages over a gentle heat until browned; they don’t need to be cooked through, as they will finish cooking later. Transfer to a board and cut into chunks.
4 Add the sausages, kidney beans and most of the parsley to the casserole, then cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Serve piping hot, scattered with extra parsley and any optional extras you fancy. Alternatively, finish it off with potato and parsnip mash as described below.
5 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Gently boil the potatoes and parsnips in separate pots of salted water until tender. Drain. Mash together, then add the butter and salt to taste, and finally mash in half a cup of cheese.
6 Pile the mash on top of the chilli con carne in dollops. Gently spread with a fork; don’t press or compress. Top with the remaining cheese and panko crumbs. Cook for about 30 minutes (without a lid) until the top is browned and bubbly around the edges. Serve hot with broccoli.
