Chilli con carne

Chilli is the classic Mexican dish (or more accurately TexMex, since an authentic Mexican recipe would use cubed pork rather than minced beef).

You can use ready made chilli powder, to replace the chillies, cumin, cinnamon and oregano. Fresh chillies taste better, and give you more control over the heat of the dish.

I don't normally use a lot of tinned ingredients in cooking, tomatoes and beans are the exceptions. Unless you can obtain good plum tomatoes (when they are in season), there is no good alternative for tinned tomatoes. Typical out-of-season salad tomatoes really don't have the flavour to make good chilli sauce.

Kidney beans are available either dried or canned. There is probably little to choose between them in terms of nutrition or flavour. Dried beans may be a little cheaper, but require long soaking and cooking, so I often used the canned variety.

Method

1. Fry the minced beef over a high heat in a heavy pan until browned.

2. Reduce the heat and add the onion and garlic, continue frying until softened.

3. Add the chillies, herbs and spices and fry for a few seconds more.

4. Add the vinegar, immediately followed by the tomatoes and beans. This allows the vinegar to cook off slightly, without completely evaporating.

5. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour. Add salt to taste.

This dish can be served with boiled rice, garnished with chopped raw onion, or alternatively it can be wrapped in an enchilada, drizzled with soured cream. It is also delicious served with a chunk of buttered, crusty bread and a side salad.

Optionally, you can add a chopped, de-seeded red bell pepper. Add this about 30 min before the end ofthe cooking time.

This recipe is for 4 servings.