Food Gatherer's Note: Got a bunch of people coming over? This recipe will work for all ages, just scale up the ingredients if preparing for more than four.
Slow cooked Beef and Chocolate Chilli
This one pot dish from Gizzi Erskine can mostly be made ahead, with a tin of kidney beans and some chocolate added at the last moment before serving with a cheerful sprinkle of coriander leaves. The use of chocolate here is not new, it's as old as the Aztecs and gives an extra depth of flavour to the dish.
Serves 4:
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
500g beef shin
2 onions
4 garlic cloves
1 red chilli
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoon tomato puree
2 bay leaves
few thyme sprigs
few parsley sprigs
200ml red wine
400ml beef stock
400g tin tomatoes
400g tin red kidney beans
30g dark chocolate
For serving:
fresh coriander
To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 160º.
Heat olive oil in a large casserole pan, then cook the diced meat in batches until golden brown all over.
Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set side.
Put the onions into the pan and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes and slightly golden. Add the garlic and chilli for the last 2 minutes.
Stir in the spices and cook briefly, then add the tomato puree and cook for another minute.
Add the bay leave, thyme, parsley, wine, stock and tomatoes.
Pop the meat and all its juices back into the pan. Give it a stir then put the lid on and cook in the oven for 3 hours. The meat should be soft and the sauce thick.
Leave the casserole to rest for 10 minutes, then shred the meat to bits.
(If making ahead at this point the meat can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days or put in the freezer in a plastic container for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight when needed. Then continue with the recipe.)
Stir in the kidney beans and chocolate and cook on the hob for 5-10 minutes until cooked through.
Scatter coriander leaves over the chilli and serve with steamed rice and a dollop of sour cream.
Enjoy!