Having noted the division caused by food in the "I don't understand the appeal of..." thread, and having just finished cooking my tea (I know, bit late to be eating - I'll make up for it by going to bed extremely late), it occurred to me that every squaxx should have a signature dish. What I want to know now is: what's yours?
Here's mine, ripped off from an improved version of Anthony Worrall Thompson's recipe, I give you my Fiery Intensity Of A Thousand Suns Chilli!
Ingredients
A generous splash of olive oil
500g-1kg beef mince or stewing steak (diced)
200g mushrooms, quartered
2 large onions, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 chillies, finely diced
Red pepper, diced
Yellow or orange pepper, diced.
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 tins chopped tomatoes
250ml beef stock
1 tin baked beans, drained
1 tin tinned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
small bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped
To serve
Basmati rice/chips/wedges, maybe a corn cob or some onion rings - knock yerself out. Some sour cream couldn't hurt, either...
Method
1. Heat a large pan (I use a big wok) until hot then add the olive oil, beef and mushrooms. Fry until the beef is browned, then remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Add the onions, garlic, chillies and sweat for 5-6 minutes until golden. Add the diced peppers halfway through.
3. Add all the spices and fry for one minute.
4. Return the beef to the pan and stir to combine.
5. Add the tomato purée, tinned tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. You may need to split the mixture across two pans by now - there'll be a lot of it!
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1-1½ hours or until very tender.
7. Add the chocolate and beans and simmer for a further five minutes until hot through.
8. Check the seasoning before adding the coriander leaves and serving.
9. Remember to wash your hands several times before picking your nose/rubbing your eye/scratching your balls/interfering with your other half. Seriously.
