Chilli

Chilli is a great one pot dish.  It's simple, tasty and does not make a huge mess in the kitchen.  It's also pure comfort food for rainy days like today.  This recipe is inspired from Jamie Oliver's "Good Old Chilli Con Carne" from his book Ministry of Food, a fantastic collection of recipes from a great chef!  Highly recommended!

Ingredients:
-2 onions                                             -2 cloves of garlic
-2 carrots                                            -2 sticks of celery
-Olive oil                                              -1 can of red kidney beans (400g)
-2 cans of chopped tomatoes (800g)       -500g of ground beef
-bunch of fresh coriander                       -2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
-1 teaspoon of cumin                            -1 teaspoon of chilli powder or chilli paste
-1 teaspoon of cinnamon                       -Salt & pepper

Instructions:

-Chop up the onions, garlic, carrots and celery.

-In a large pot, on medium heat, add the olive oil and all the chopped veggies.  Saute and eventually add all the spices (chilli powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper).

-Once the veggies are cooked through, add the ground beef and cook until browned.

-Add the kidney beans, 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and 1 tin of water. 

-Pick off the coriander leaves.  Wash and chop the coriander stems and add to the pot along with the balsamic vinegar. 

-Season everything with salt and pepper, according to your taste.

-Bring everything to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for an hour, with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
-Serve hot and top off with coriander.

Optional:
-Goes great with a crusty baguette, nacho chips or on a bed of rice.