Chilli con Carne

I've been meaning to cook chilli con carne for a while now, but I kept postponing it for spicy food may not be the best idea when pregnant. Besides, the baby doesn't seem to like beans for whenever I eat them I feel terribly sick.

So I was really glad when I found this recipe, from Jamie Oliver which takes chickpeas or cubed potatoes instead of beans. I just cooked it for dinner

Jamie: "What a classic dish this is. Most of my mates love the chickpeas, but butter beans or even cubed potatoes will work well in their place. Feel free to pep up this dish with more chilli depending on your taste. This will make enough for six portions, so simply freeze the extra if you're only cooking for four - it's so damn good the next day, even on a jacket potato!"

Taken from Jamie's Ministry of Food

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 medium onions

2 cloves of garlic

2 medium carrots

2 sticks of celery

2 red peppers

Olive oil

1 heaped teaspoon chilli powder

1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin

1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas

1 x 400g tin of red kidney beans

2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

500g good-quality minced beef

1 small bunch of fresh coriander

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

400g basmati rice

1 x 500g tub of natural yoghurt

1 x 230g tub of guacamole

1 lime

 
1. Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery - don’t worry about the technique, just chop away until fine.

2. Halve the red peppers, remove the stalks and seeds and roughly chop.
3. Place your largest casserole-type pan on a medium high heat.
4. Add 2 lugs of olive oil and all your chopped vegetables.
5. Add the chilli powder, cumin and cinnamon with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
6. Stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes until softened and lightly coloured.
7. Add the drained chickpeas, drained kidney beans and the tinned tomatoes
8. Add the minced beef, breaking any larger chunks up with a wooden spoon.
9. Fill one of the empty tomato tins with water and pour this into the pan.
10. Pick the coriander leaves and place them in the fridge.
11. Finely chop the washed stalks and stir in.
12. Add the balsamic vinegar and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
13. Bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a simmer with a lid slightly askew for about an hour, stirring every now and again to stop it catching.

To serve chilli con carne

1. This is fantastic served with fluffy rice.
2. Just divide the rice and chilli into big bowls or serve in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves.
3. If you don't fancy rice it's equally good with a nice hunk of fresh crusty bread, over a jacket potato or with couscous.
4. Put a small bowl of natural yoghurt, some guacamole and a few wedges of lime on the table, and sprinkle the chilli with the coriander leaves.
5. I love to add a nice green salad to round it off

Stuffed peper

I'm not much of a fan of pepper, but my hubby loved it!

200g of mince
1 cup of rice
2 cups of meat stock
1 cup of chopped parsley
3 tbspoons of olive oil
4 red peppers
1/2 onion, chopped
salt

Wash the peppers. Cut the lid off (put it aside), remove the seeds and wash them again. Dry the peppers in a paper towel. Put aside. On a hon, heat up 2 tbspoon of olive oil and the fry the onion. Add the rice, mince and fry the meat. Add the parsley and the meat stock. Lower the heat, put on a lid and let the rice cook. Pre-heat the oven (medium heat) Put the rice with mince inside the pepper, cover with the lids and secure it with toothpicks. Spread the rest of the olive oil. Put them in an oven proof tray and bake for 25 min.

Alternatively you can put them inside some tomato sauce, cover the tray with a lid and let them bake for 20 min.

Collard green pancakes with mozzarela and mince

10 leaves of collard green
1 litre of water
3 ripe tomatoes, peeled
1 medium onion, chopped and mashed
1 pinch of oregano
salt/pepper
1 pinch of cumin
1 pinch of grond nutmeg
2 tbspoons of olive oil
200g of olives, sliced and no seeds
500g of mozzarela
500g of mince
1 tbspoon of butter
1 tbpoon of tomato extract
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 tbspoon of flour

Boil the collard green leaves (do not break them) in the water for 15 min. Drain them and fry them, both sides, in a frying pan with a bit of heated olive oil and the butter. Open them over a chopping board.

Season the meat with the cumin, nutmeg, salt, pepper and tomato extract. Cook it (medium heat).

Open one leaf and remove the tip of the stalk. Put one slice of mozzarela and 1 tbspoon of the cooked mince. Sprinkle with oregano. Roll it like a pancake, hiding the corners inside. Do the same to all the other leaves. Put the "pancakes" in a oven proof glass or ceramic tray.

Sauce:
Chop the tomatoes and add them to a pan with salt, olive oil, the onion, olives, the milk and the flour. Let it boil and thicken. Throw it on top of the collard green pancakes. Put it on a pre-heated oven (medium heat, 180C) for around 10 min. You can sprinkle parmesan on top if you want.

Serve with white rice.

Hamburger

Two saturdays ago I woke up late and missed Saturday Live Kitchen, which was kind of a bumer, because I really enjoy that show (the only cooking show that I actually enjoy). Anyway, there was this other guy latter, that stated that recipes are not supposed to be followed absolutely but are more like a basic desing, etc etc...He was quite proud of his own back garden and he did make a soup that looked absolutely delicious (but I was not paying attention).

I was paying attention, however, to the hamburger recipe that I saw him make. It was a chicken hamburger, but I didn´t have chicken mince so I tried with regular mince. It was fabulous!!!

So, here´s the recipe:

mince
bread crums "to increase the amount of hamburgers"
bacon (better if streaked, chopped)
parmesan (rather than eggs to keep it all together) (about 1\3 to 1\2 a cup)
herb mayo - now, here he did his own but I'm pregnant and raw eggs are a no no. Therefore, I used my helmann's mayo which I seasoned with lime, parsley, chives, pepper and a bit of rosemary.


Mix it up in a big bowl, add some salt and pepper to taste and fry it.

He served it wrapped in lettuce, but I served it in cut to measure (poligonal) bread, covered with mix of lettuce, the hamburger, mayo and some shavings of cheese (I use medium to mature chedar).Everything looked beautifully arranged and I decorated the plate with ketchup.

I'll post the pic soon

Mince alla parmeggiana

500g of minced meat
1 onion, finnely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
salt
chives
parsley
oil (to fry)
oregano
2 eggs
bread crums
Tomato sauce.
muzzarela or cheddar
parmesan (grated)

In a bowl, add the minced meat, the salt, onion, tomato, parsley, chives and mix it well. Make little steaks with the mixture, and dunk it in the egg (whisk it in another bowl before anything) and then in the bread crums. Fry it (about 2 min). Put the little steaks in an oven-proof dish and put slices of muzzarela or cheddar on top.
In a pan, make your own or heat the tomato sauce. When it is done, spread it on top of the cheese and sprinkle it with oregano and parmesan. Put it in the oven (gas mark 5) until the cheese melts.

Sheperds pie

Time of preparation: 35 min
4 portions

I found this recipe here


2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
500g minced lamb
1 large onion, finely grated
1 large carrot, finely grated
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
thyme (I used the dry one)
rosemary, ditto
250ml red wine
300ml chicken stock (I used one cube of chicken stock diluted in boiling water)
1kg of potatoes (for the mash)
50g butter
2 egg yolks
Parmesan, for grating

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas 4

Heat the oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrot into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost completely evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened

Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Pass them through a potato ricer then beat in the egg yolks, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan. Check for seasoning

Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season. Fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown

Here's the thing: After I put the stock, mine wouldn't get thick, so I cheat using 1 tbspoon of flour to thicken the meat sauce. Also, I tried this recipe with bovine mince (Cottage pie) and I think it actually tastes better.

Filled lettuce

time of preparation: 30 min
2 portions

1 big head of lettuce
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 big onion, grated
1/3 cup of chopped parsley
1 tbspoon of butter
1 cup of minced meat
1 cup of water
1 cube of beef stock
1/2 cup of grated parmesan
1 tspoon of ground pepper
1 egg
1 tbspoon of tomato puree
1/2 cup of bread crums
salt (if necessary)

separate and clean the lettuce leaves. Reserve the big outter leaves and chop the inner ones.
Fry the garlic, onion and parsley on the butter. Add the chopped lettuce, the meat, water, beef stock and pepper. Let it cook. When it dries, add the cheese, the egg, tomato puree and the bread crums.
Fill the big lettuce leaves with the mince and serve.

Mince filled courgette

Time of preparation: 35 min

2 medium sized courgettes
1 tbspoon of olive oil
1/2 onion, finnely chopped
1 clove of garlic
300g of mince
parsley and chives

Cut the ends of the courgettes and then slice then, lenghtwise. Remove the filling with the help of a spoon, shaping them as a boat. Heat up the olive oil and add the onion and garlic, frying it for about 2 min. Add the mince and the fillings of the courgettes. Cook it untill the courgette has melted. Season with sal, pepper, parsley and chives. Let it dry and reserve.

Fill each of the courgette "boats" and put them in a roasting tray, covering them with kitchen foil. Roast it for 15 min or until the boats are cooked.

Serve it with white rice.

Comment: Honestly, this taste as good as the mince with courgette recipe (click here) which is much easier to cook (and I believe it tastes a bit better). This recipe just looks nicer, so it's good to serve for guests, if you want to impress them...On a day to day basis, I'd definately prefer the simpler one.

Courgette with mince

Time of preparation: 20-25 min

2 courgettes washed with skin (cut off only the "lids")
500g of mince
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cube of meat stock
salt and pepper

Cut the courgettes in cubes. In a pan, heat up 2 table spoons of oil and put the onion, the cube and the mince it. Let it fry (mixing it up) for some 3-4 minutes. Add the courgette, reduce heat and put the lid on. There's no need to add water since the water of the courgette is enough to cook, and creates a delicious sauce.

Serve with white rice, putting some sauce on it. It's simple and delicious.