A good, slow-cooked beef (or just bean) chilli always goes down a storm on our Retreats and is great dish for feeding a large crowd. Serve it with whatever you fancy, but I particularly like wild red rice or roasted sweet potatoes, with a nice slaw salad and some lovely avocado.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 12 people + with sides
2 red onions, finely diced
2 sticks of celery, finely diced
2 large carrots, finely diced
2 red peppers, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped/sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 heaped teaspoon of: sweet smoked paprika, dried oregano, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ground coriander, ground cumin
2 teaspoons of: ground cinnamon
1 tbsp of: tomato paste/puree; Tamari or Soy sauce; Worcestershire sauce
50g dark chocolate or 2 tbsp dark chocolate powder/drinking chocolate
2 x packs of 500g Green Farm or grass-fed minced beef
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g tin of black beans
1 x 400g tin of kidney beans
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Sliced fresh red chilli (optional)
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 170C.
On a medium heat, drizzle the oil into a large and lidded Dutch oven/Le Creuset, and add the onions, garlic, celery, carrot and peppers with a large pinch of salt and pepper, then cook for 15-20 minutes, or until everything is golden brown and soft.
Add all the dried herbs and spices and fry for a further 5 minutes.
Add the mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, then cook for 5-10 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat has browned.
Add the tamari sauce, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste followed by the tomatoes and beans. Season with a little more salt and black pepper, then bring to the boil and pop in the oven for 2 hours with the lid on.
After 2 hours, check to see that the sauce has reduced and the meat is nice and soft. You can use a whisk to break up and meat that has clumped together.
Add in your chocolate and check the seasoning. Top with the fresh coriander, some sliced chilli or even a drizzle of yoghurt.