Chilli Con Carne

Steve and I have quite a good system when it comes to the household chores.  We share basically everything, bins are him, laundry is me, back garden is his responsibility, front garden is mine to maim, butcher and destroy.  We take it in turns to do the cooking as well, and much as it irks me to admit, he is at least as good a cook as I am.  Sometimes I think he is better.  He, at least, doesn't completely bugger up oven chips every time he tries to cook them.  Seriously, the last time I cooked them, I followed the packet exactly and they still came out frozen and burnt at the same time.  It's a unique skill.

This particular weekend he was let loose on my spice cupboard and recipe books and came out three hours later with bowls of the most delicious chilli con carne I had ever tasted.  Naturally it was a Thomasina Miers dish - everything in her books is just delicious, I once made my way through a jar of her chipotles en adobo sauce at a friends house who had just made approximately two gallons of the stuff - and I was more chuffed by the fact that I already had every single ingredient in stock in the house.

Every.  Single.  One.

I apparently keep a well stocked kitchen.  I am my mother's daughter.

This is one of those recipes that you can quite happily leave cooking merrily on its own whilst you go and attend to all those pesky chores that life demands you keep on top of.  Like accidentally pulling out that large plant in the front garden you thought was a weed and turns out to be quite an expensive shrub your husband had planted three years earlier and was finally getting to be a decent size.

Turns out the only green fingers I have are those caused by wearing cheap fashion rings.

So if you fancy a bloody good chilli this weekend, this is what you will need to check you have in your kitchen:

1kg minced beef
300g spicy chorizo
3 onions
4 cloves of garlic
olive oil
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cloves
1 large cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 deseeded ancho chillies
2 chilies de arbol
2 teaspoons sea salt
black pepper
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
800g tinned tomatoes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
800g kidney beans

Preheat the oven to 120C and bring the meat to room temperature.

Finely chop the onions and garlic

Sear the meat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large casserole dish.

Set the meat to one side and add another small glug of oil to the casserole dish.  Brown the chopped chorizo in the oil until it is scented and golden brown with the sausage oils.  Remove the chorizo.

Add the onion, garlic, spices, herbs and chillies and cook in the chorizo oil until soft.  Season with salt and pepper, add the vinegar, tomatoes, ketchup and sugar.

Return the meat to the pan and top up with 400ml water, bring to a simmer and cook, covered in the oven for 2 hours.

After two hours, give it a stir and add the beans.  Cook for another hour.

Serve with a big pile of rice, some chopped coriander, salsa, cheese if you want and lime wedges. Add sour cream if you need to cool the heat down a little.

This chilli would also be amazing on top of jacket potatoes, on a hot dog or piled onto a mound of nachos with a group of friends, some beers and a good film.

Tamoanchan Tart

Chilli and chocolate are a match made in Tamoanchan (Aztec heaven).  This dark chocolate Mexican tart is rich and indulgent, very decadent and definitely for adults only.  It is not sweet in the slightest but has a moorish, almost bitter tone to it and the filling is smooth and creamy with an edge of heat that lingers on your tastebuds.  You can feel your teeth just sliding through the chocolate with every bite. 

I've made it a couple of times.  It's another recipe that I first got from The Spicery and I have since adapted it from the original version.  If, like me, you are awful with pastry (my cases crack constantly) then just cheat and buy pre-made.

The chillies I used with this version are a mixture of Yucatan Habanero's and Ancho.  The Habanero's are dried so you need to rehydrate them and be warned, these are eye-wateringly hot.  You probably won't need to use a whole one!

They are quite small and fairly innocent looking at first.  To hydrate them you simply rip it into small pieces, removing the stalk and the seeds, put it into a mug and cover it with boiling water.  To get a very rough indication of how hot it is taste the steeping water after a few minutes.

Once you have hydrated it, remove it from the water and blend it to a puree with a splash of fresh water.  Make sure your blending space is well ventilated and you may want to cover your mouth and nose with a tea towel as the fumes that come off this tiny little chilli are enough to make your eyes stream and induce a serious coughing fit.  You have been warned!

The other key ingredients that are a bit less common are ground ancho chillies and ground cassia bark.  You should be able to get both at good supermarkets or specialist stores, otherwise I'm sure you can get them on line.  Cassia is a relation of Cinnamon so at a pinch you could always substitute although the flavour is not exactly the same.  There is no real substitute for ancho chillies I'm afraid!

So here is how you make it.

Heat 280ml double cream in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon ancho chilli powder, 1 teaspoon ground cassia, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste and as much of the habanero paste as you think people can handle (I put 1 teaspoon in).  Bring to the boil then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring.

In a heatproof bowl break 200g of good quality (75% at least) dark chocolate (I used one flavoured with orange and spices for extra interest but plain, coffee or chilli would also work well, or you could combine a couple of them).

Pour the cream and spices mix over the chocolate and stir to bring it all together.  When it is combined add two egg yolks and continue to stir.  The texture is slightly gelatinous rather than completely liquid and it should be smooth and glossy.

Pour the chocolate filling into the sweet pastry case (about 15cm diameter ish).  Cook for 15 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 150C.  When the chocolate is just firm on the outside and there are no ripples it is cooked.

Scatter the top with pumpkin and sesame seeds and set in the fridge for at least one hour.

Carve into slices and serve cold either on it's own or with cream.  A little goes a long way with this tart, this will feed at least 8 people!

Beefy Steak Burritos

It is (slowly, oh so slowly!) getting warmer in Kent.  The sun is starting to creep past the clouds, days are getting longer and the breeze is gentler (more Notos than Boreas to use my Classics degree and sound like I didn't just have to google the names to remind myself).  Almost exponentially as it gets warmer my desire for fresh, zingy flavours undercut with warm chilli heat also increases.

I fancied Mexican for dinner, on a work night no less when normally I can't be bothered to do more than chuck some meat and sauce in a pan and serve it with whatever form of carbohydrate is closest.

I took inspiration from Tim Maddams recipe on the BBC Food website and modified it slightly.  As previously explained, this was a work night and there was no way on this earth I was making tortilla wraps from scratch when the supermarket had done all the work and presented me with pre-made ones.

These Beefy Buritos really hit the spot - tangy from the lime, warm and deep from the re-fried beans and packing a little bit of a punch.  Next time though I would add some chipotle chili to the steak marinade to add some extra smokey warmth and some more birdseye chili to the salsa.  This would turn this dish from a lightweight to a heavyweight in my books!

They are actually really easy to do and once your prep has been done (which you could do a day in advance and leave the flavours to develop), it only takes moments in the pan to cook.

For the steak:
400g sirloin steak, fat removed and cut into strips
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds (lightly toasted in a dry pan until aromatic)
1/2 tsp allspice
Juice of 1/2 lime
Glug of olive oil

Bung it all in a bowl and allow to marinade.

For the salsa:
2 ripe-but-firm vine tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 red chili, (with or without seeds), finely chopped.
Mix in a bowl.

For the yoghurt:
Fat-free natural yoghurt
Zest of 1 lime, finely grated

For the re-fried beans:
1 tin black beans, partially drained
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil

When you are ready to serve, heat a large frying pan and chuck the steak mix in with a bit of salt.  Allow it to sit for a couple of minutes until the steak has seared on one side and then flip the whole lot.  Sear the other side, remove and allow to rest.

In the same pan you cooked the steak in, heat the olive oil and add the garlic and cumin from the re-fried beans list.  When it starts to smell fragrant add the tin of black beans and start to lightly crush it with a wooden spoon.  When it becomes slightly more mushy (technical term) remove it into a bowl.

Serve the whole lot with tortillas, chopped coriander and any salad you feel like.    This is a really healthy and low fat meal and takes a grand total of about 15 minutes from the moment you heat up your frying pan.

Assemble and munch.  I am hopelessly incapable of eating any form of wrap without making a huge mess; I just don't have the right wrapping technique!

Ice cold Coronas with wedges of lime squashed in the top are the perfect accompaniment for a warm summer evening.

I have a random story about my first time working with red onion.  In Year 7 in my home economics class we were told to bring in the ingredients for coleslaw.  My mum sent me in with a red onion.  We were told to remove 'all the brown' from the onion until we got to the white skin.  By the time the teacher got to me I had no onion left and just a pile of red pieces all over the work surface as I valiantly tried to find the white.  Hopefully my cooking has improved since then!

Ye Olde Beverlie

I do promise that not all of the pubs in Canterbury are ridiculously old.  I know it currently looks like that but it's probably just because those are the pubs I tend to hang out in.

They smell nice.

I have just realised that this makes me sound like I go around and sniff old things.

Ye Olde Beverlie (or The Old Bev to the locals) doesn't even try to hide its age.  Clue is in the name.  It's not in the city centre either but located on St Stephen's Hill, leading from the city to the University of Kent. 

The pub is a listed redbrick building, dating back to c.1570 and was built by Sir Roger Manwood as part of a set of almshouses, a history that is proudly displayed within the pub restaurant.   While I was snapping away one of the waiters, clearly excited by the interest I had taken, came up and told me all about the pub.  I like this about The Old Bev; there is a real sense of pride in the premises and it's unique features.

These days it serves a mixture of Mexican and English food (not the most obvious of food choices for a old pub to be honest, but it works).  I did disagree with the chilli board assessments - but that is my personal taste.  I do happen to love my chilli's and I'm sorry, but a Habanero is not hot.

Like the other old English pubs in Canterbury, this one has a warm vibe with low, dark wooden beams pitted with ancient and long forgotten woodworm, a roaring fireplace, higgledy piggledy doors and staircases and nooks and crannies you can secrete yourself in.

 

Old church pews complete tapestry covered seats while the original ceiling, brick red flagstone floor and old green bottles with wax candles add to the rustic effect.

The Old Bev also has a large beer garden which is wonderful in the summer time and boasts the claim of being the origin of Bat and Trap.  This unique Kentish game is only really found in this corner of the world and is basically pub cricket.  There are a few pubs in Canterbury that still play and every year the Cricket Club hosts an annual tournament.  It's a fun game that is perfect for a summer day with a BBQ and a beer with friends and one that I will cover in a later post!

The wine and beer selection is good - there will be something for everyone here and it is also very reasonably priced.  Their olives are also a great bar snack.

I have not eaten here in years - not since my student days, but the menu could be enough to tempt me back in.  This place is popular with the students, being located close by to many of the student dominated residential areas just outside of the city centre and attracts a varied crowd.  It still runs the ever popular quiz nights as well, a popular destination for the students hoping to win a few extra quid!

Parking is extremely limited out front but there is plenty of on-road parking just around the corner.

Overall, a nice little pub, one I don't go to very often as it is a bit out of the way but definitely worth a visit for a game of Bat and Trap in the summer!