Chilli Con Carne

There is truly nothing more comforting to me than a big old bowl of homemade chilli. And with the World Cup happening, I think it's tastiness and versatility makes it the ideal game-day food.

And this one is simple, you can let it simmer away in the background while you get on with making the delicious sides (or watching the football!). I went with rice and guacamole, but there are so many options when it comes to chilli.  When I lived at home with my mum, we would live on a big pot of chilli for days. The first night we would normally eat it with rice, then the next night with baked potatoes, and sometimes even baked on top of a baguette and topped with cheese.

Spices!

Two additions for next time: I will add chillies (just didn't have any in the fridge) and I will take some of the delicious chilli leftovers and sprinkle them over nacho chips to make some ultimate nachos. So much YUM.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 pepper
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp coriander leaves
• 1 chorizo sausage, sliced
• 500g minced beef
• 1 beef stock cube, dissolved in 300ml water
• 2 tsp Worchester sauce
• 200ml passata
• 50ml water
• 1 can of mixed beans

To serve

• A cup of rice, cooked.
• Guacamole
• A handful of grated cheese of  your choice (I used Mexicana cheese because it is spicy and melts well)
• 1 finely chopped scallion

Method

Begin by prepping the veggies, dice the onions, finely chop the garlic and slice the peppers.

Heat the oil in a large non stick pot and add in the veggies.

I spend a vast portion of my life stirring this combo of veggies

Fry for a few minutes until softened, then stir through all the spices.

Let cook for a few minutes before adding in the chorizo and frying until cooked and crisp.

Then stir in the mince, breaking up and stirring until cooked through.

Pour in the beef stock, pasatta, 50 ml water (swirled in the pasatta container), and Worchester sauce.

Let simmer for 15 minutes, then add in a can of mixed beans and stir through. Cook for another 15 minutes.

Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Serve with whatever chilli-shovelling receptacle you prefer. I like rice, guac and cheese. But baked potatoes, salad, or tortilla wraps would work well too.

Plated up, with Mexicana cheese and scallion topping

But this is how I like it, in a polka dot bowl

...even more perfect, with a good dollop of guacamole