You can’t beat a good bowl of Chilli con carne – it’s just flashed up mince really isn’t it? Jamie Oliver has a great recipe in his Ministry of Food book which includes celery and carrots so a great way to get some more veg into Izzy. The latest Rachel Allen book also has a recipe although with considerably fewer ingredients and although in my eyes it doesn’t quite match Jamie’s effort it is still a worthy contender. Matched with some well cooked rice (Rachel’s recipe to follow), a scoop of home made gucamole and a dollop of sour cream – a delicious family dinner!

Chilli con carne (courtesy of Rachel Allen – Home Cooking)

Ingredients:-

2 Tbsp olive oil

700g minced beef

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 red or yellow peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped

3 red or green chillies, deseeded (optional) and finely chopped (I left these out to make it child friendly)

2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

1 Tbsp tomato puree

salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 x 400g tin of kidney beans, drained

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp brown sugar

Pour the olive oil into a large casserole dish or saucepan (ovenproof and with a lid, if cooking in the oven) on a high heat. Working in batches, sear the meat quickly until well browned. Remove each batch with a slotted spoon and set aside (I actually skipped this process and chucked it all in together). Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and garlic, cover with a lid and gently fry for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.

Return the meat to the casserole dish or pan and add the peppers, chillies, tomatoes, tomato puree and some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid, reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until the meat is nice and tender and the sauce has thickened a little. Alternatively, cook in the oven, preheated to 150C for an hour.

When the meat is cooked, add the remaining ingredients and leave to simmer, uncovered, on a low-medium heat for a further 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Now I am always looking for a better way to cook rice – once again Jamie has a great method that involves a quick boil and then steaming however Rachel’s is a quick boil and then into the oven. The results are delicious – I did add a knob of butter as suggested and it was totally worth every calorie!

Rice (courtesy of Rachel A)

Ingredients:-

450g white rice, such as basmati

1 tsp salt

15g butter

Preheat the oven to 140C. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the rice and salt, give the pan a stir, cover with a lid and boil for 4-5 minutes or until the rice is nearly cooked but still has a tiny bite.

Drain the rice and place in a serving dish. Stir in the butter, cover and put in the oven for at least 15 minutes. When ready to eat, fluff up the rice with a fork and serve.

It’s good, it’s really good!!

Finally, I made what must be my first ever gucamole and I have sworn never to buy pre-made again. A quick whirr of the blender, a squeeze of lime and some chopped tomatoes and spring onions – so much better. The down side is that Izzy definitely does not like the ‘green stuff’ and is partial to some regurgitation if it is snuck onto a spoonful….I think that is probably a pretty clear sign that she is not a fan of avocado!

Tres Miniburritos – gegessen bei Enchilada Mannheim

Hähnchen Rolle, Chilli Con Carne Rolle und Spinat-Frischkäse-Rolle . Salsa Souce, Guacamole Dip und Joghurtsouce. Plus frischer Salat in mexikanischer Tortilla.

三个小卷饼 -  用在安奇拉达餐厅-曼海姆

鸡肉卷,　辣椒豆酱玉米卷和菠菜醇香奶酪卷．红辣椒汁，香草鳄梨酱和酸奶酱．加上新鲜沙拉和墨西哥脆饼．

We often have chilli con carne.  I very often cheat and use a Schwarz chilli con carne mix if I am short of time, but if I have planned ahead and I have a couple of hours before tea time then I make this version. We sometimes have it with the spiced rice that I have already posted  or we have it as enchiladas like we did this week.  It makes a substantial meal, that is easy to prepare.

500g minced beef
1 onion chopped finely
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1 fresh chilli, chopped finely
1½ tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seed
a small chunk of root ginger, grated or chopped finely
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 400g tin of tomatoes
1 400g tin of red kidney beans in water
olive oil

Method

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and add the minced beef, stir to break up whilst cooking and fry until golden brown. Lift the meat onto a plate and add the onion to the pan.  Cook the onions over a gentle heat for a few minutes until translucent.  Add the fresh chilli, the garlic and the ginger and cook for another minute.  Add the cumin seed, chilli powder and oregano and return the meat to the pan.  Give everything a good stir and add the tomatoes, the vinegar and sugar and the red kidney beans. Stir well to combine.  Place a lid on the pan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally for at least an hour, preferably nearer two hours if you have the time.   Season with salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

If you want to have enchiladas and you fancy my greek-mexican fusion you will need 6 flour tortillas, 150g greek yoghurt and 200g feta cheese. Divide the chilli mixture between the six tortillas  and place in a baking dish, spread the yoghurt over the tortillas and crumble over the feta.  Place in a preheated oven at 180° c (gas mark4) for 10-15 minutes until golden brown on top.

Get printable version

Enchiladas

I like to vary the carbohydrates that I eat during the week, alternating between rice, potatoes, pasta and bread. When we’re thinking of something to have with rice, chilli frequently comes to mind. It’s delicious, simple to make and keeps well in the freezer – although my leftovers are often taken to work for lunch the next day. For some reason there’s no mention of chilli con carne on this blog so I thought I’d change that.

Chilli is similar to bolognese in that everyone has their own recipe and secret ingredients. Sit a few cooks down together and bring up the topic of the ultimate chilli con carne recipe and you’ll have hours of conversation over the best meats (either ground or diced chunks), whether beans should be added or not, the amount of tomato to use… I’m going to give my recipe but don’t take it as gospel. Use more or less beans, diced beef instead of minced beef, more or less chilli – it’s up to you.

This time I used British Cherry Bomb chillis – they’re pendant shaped and can be quite potent. Any other type of fresh chilli, or even dried chilli flakes will do.

Chilli also tastes better when made a few days in advance. Once cooked, leave to cool then put in the fridge and reheat gently before serving.

Chilli Con Carne
Serves 2 to 3 people
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: at least an hour

1 onion, half sliced, the other half diced
1 cherry bomb chilli, diced (include the seeds if you want it hot)
1 large clove garlic, minced
350g lean minced beef
1 beef stock cube
1/2tsp cumin
1 tin good quality chopped tomatoes
1/2 tbsp tomato puree
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp oregano
dash of red wine (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Start by dry fying the mince in a pan until browned, strain then set aside.

Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in a little oil over a low heat until softened – this will take between 5 and 10 minutes. Add the cumin, chilli powder and oregano to the onions and stir before adding the cooked minced beef. Next add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, beef stock cube and some salt and pepper and stir well. Pour in the red wine if using – I often freeze leftover red wine in an ice cube tray and use a couple of cubes in this dish.

Leave to simmer uncovered for at least an hour – add some water if it gets too dry. Serve with some boiled rice, a jacket potato or even some nachos.

Heute habe ich Chilli Con Carne gekocht!

Für 2 gute Fleischesser!

Zutaten:

• 500g Hackfleisch
• Kartoffeln (festkochend)
• 2 Knorr Fix Chilli Con Carne
• 2 Dosen Kidney Bohnen
• Heinz Chilli- Curry Ketchup

Zubereitung:

1. Kartoffeln kochen, ca. 20 Minuten.
2. Hackfleisch anbraten, am besten bis es eine gesunde Mischung aus rohem und gebratenem ergibt.
3. 600 ml Wasser zu dem angebratenem Hackfleisch geben
4. 2 Knorr Fix Chilli Con Carne dazugeben und verrühren
5. 2 Dosen Kidney Bohnen abtropfen lassen und dann rein in die Pfanne
6. Kartoffeln kleinschneiden und mit in die Pfanne geben
7. Unter schwacher Hitze kochen/garen lassen, ab und zu umrühren
8. Je nach Geschmack Heinz Chilli-Curry Ketchup dazugeben und mit Chilli bzw. Pfeffer nachwürzen

Viel Spass beim Kochen!

Today I have achieved a lot, I think.  I don’t feel massively exhausted by it, which is a risk when you do a lot after a hard week.

I am sitting in my living room, which is clearer since I finished a lot of unpacking, looks nicer since I sorted out the stuff that had been dumped on top of the DVD unit and the DVDs themselves, and is nice and lightbecause it’s a bright evening, in spite of the rain.  I can smell the chilli con carne I made from scratch, which has been simmering away in the slow cooker for the last four hours, ensuring it’ll be well and truly infused by the time we eat in another hour or two.  If I can wait that long.  I am just home from a refreshing stroll through the drizzle to the shops, where I bought the finishing touches for dinner (rice and freshly baked pitta bread), and so much San Miguel that the guy in the off licence asked if I was Spanish.
Yo no soy española.

Diabetic moment of the day

I haven’t had one today.  Which makes me suspicious.

ñ

Wendy Richard was one of those stars of TV who inspired nothing but affection. Whether as the dollybird Miss Brahms in Are you being served? To the sometimes forbidding matriarch Pauline Fowler in Eastenders, she one of those people that everyone liked, probably because she seemed so down to earth.

At her funeral this week, at her request, she included something unusual in the order of service:  a recipe. ‘Wendy’s Chilli Con Carne’ gets a whole page in the booklet. You can imagine people round at Wendy’s house, tucking in to huge portions (for this is not a recipe for dieters), having a drink and a laughing a lot. That’s presumably why she included it: it was famous among her friends.

It’s a bit of an eccentric recipe, obviously honed and tweaked over the years. There’s  tarragon vinegar and chocolate too. It’s not a very hot chilli. I can imagine chilli purists (mostly boys) not being very impressed. But that’s hardly the point. Food has the power to evoke such memories. It can immediately transport you back to a particular time or place. And that is why, I suppose, Wendy Richard shared this recipe with her friends at her funeral. They will make it and think of her. Which is rather touching.

Didn’t manage to do very much sport this week, had some days of late work and other days of not very much work and lots of snow in between. It was a great week at work because we won a pitch we’ve been working on since January and into which I personally have put quite a lot of time. I also now have a new phone, which is very cool . My wonderful pink phone is tragically on its way out. It keeps turning itself off and back on again sporadically, which is inconvenient in the middle of a call. I was complaining about phones etc when one of my colleagues offered me his old one that he had at home. Clearly I jumped at the offer and it’s great! Only thing is, it’s a dark colour and I’m going to lose it I just know it…

Other than work…Wednesday night, I went for dinner at Laure’s. I basically spent the whole day pigging out as there was some particularly nice chocolate at work and I met Alex for some cake (crunchy cherry cake..) before heading to Laure’s. She hadn’t felt like cooking so we dined on a sumptuous array of sweeties and wine .

Thursday I cooked for 5 of my Erasmus friends. Laure is leaving on the 28^th and Alex left Friday and is only coming back on the 28^th so we had a mini farewell party. The original idea was a bar but as there were so few of us I thought it would be easier if we had them all over to Kolpinghaus. I made enough Chilli con carne and rice to feed about 8 but those boys eat a LOT, so 1kg mince and 1kg rice was in no way too much food. That was really fun.

Friday night we ventured out in the snow to Universität to have a cocktail. There was an Abschiedsfeier that night at a WG nearby but I wasn’t too up for going as I didn’t know the hosts and I didn’t have anything to drink with me. So rather than gatecrashing we went for a cocktail at the SODA bar. MUCH calmer than the previous Friday.

Valentine’s day

It snowed ALL day Saturday. But as I had no food and overdue library books I still had to brave the elements. On the way back from the library such a blizzard started up that I called in on Laure to shelter from the storm. I must have looked quite a sight, caked in snow.

As it was Valentine’s day I went out, with 3 girls. In order to avoid all romance and anything that might remind us of it we (myself, Laure, Vittoria and Anna) went to find a bar in Glockenbachviertel. I have now located where the gay population of Munich hang out, LOTS of rainbow flags. We ended up in a bar which, although lacking a pretty flag, was definitely a gay bar. We walked into the strains of ‘Come what may’ from Moulin Rouge, the only punters were 3 men together and 2 other men lounging on the Louis XIV style sofas which had very nice embossed velvet upholstery. It was the perfect bar for what we needed that evening, an evening of girly chat and martini, no guys, no beer, and nothing to remind us of Valentine’s day.

Today I went for a run as it had stopped snowing. The snow lay ankle-deep in the park and was soooo purty. I had to stop and play for a while. I don’t think I got tooo many odd looks, a 22 year old making pictures by herself in the snow….

I have also FINALLY got round to buying myself a Bahnkarte 50. Now I can get my train tickets to Mainz next weekend. Bring on Fasching!!!

Jalapeños Maisbrød

Jalapeño Maisbrød (Jalapeño Corn Bread).

Passer godt sammen med chilligryte, suppe eller kjøttretter. Det er også godt med kun smør.
Juster styrkegraden med mengde jalapeños…

Forberedelser:     5 Min
Koketid:    20-30 Min
Total tidsbruk:    25-35 Min

Ingredienser:

* 1 1/2 kopp maismel
* 1/2 kopp toro lys glutenfritt mel (eller vanlig hvetemel)
* 6 ss sukker
* 2 ts bakepulver
* 1 ts salt
* 1/2 ts baking soda
* 2 egg
* 1 kopp kefir
* 1/4 kopp oliven olje
* 3 hele jalapeño pepper, finkuttet.

Slik gjør du det:

1. I en bolle blander du de 6 første ingrediensene. Deretter tilsetter du jalapeños.
I en annen bolle visper du egg, kefir og olje. Tilsett dette i de tørre ingrediensene og rør til du ikke trenger å røre mer.
Tøm røra i en smurt form, silikonform eller form med bakepapir. Du kan også bruke muffinsformer!

2. Bak på 200ºC i 20-30 minutter, eller til du kan stikke en tannpirker eller en spisepinne (i tre) nær senter av
maisbrødet og dra den ut tørr. Skjør i skiver eller i former (tre-/firkanter). Serveres rykende ferskt og varmt!

Om du synes retten er for søt, kan du minske sukkermengden.
Vanlig melk fungerer også om du ikke har kefir.
Du kan også ta en spiseskje sitronjuice i en kopp, før du tilsetter vanlig melk og lar det stå i fem minutter.

Du også eksperimentere med å tilsette soltørkede tomater eller oliven. Kanskje maiskorn?
Eller du kan gjøre slik som på bildet; lage en variant med jalapeños og en uten.

The other day when I was writing about the curry I had, I got the name wrong. I mistakenly thought the company was called Vegalicious, when it was actually just the curry. The company is actually called Pick Me Food, and they’re a small outlet supplying vegetarian food made by hand using fresh ingredients and interesting flavours.

Aside from their delicious curry, they also make a chili, which I had tonight. And it was really very good. Instead of meat, there was red lentils, in just enough amounts to provide body without being overpowering, along with red kidney beans, peppers, lashing of garlic and just enough chili to kick up some spice on your tongue without burning it out. I can honestly say that it was the best chili I’ve eaten in quite some time, and that’s saying something, because I can make an absolutely killer chili if I put my mind to it. It’s a bit of a process, mind, involving black coffee and sometimes even dark chocolate. My wife also makes a great chili, entirely different in character – she uses beans and tomatoes in it, for example, whereas I prefer to leave them out or serve the beans on the side, and makes it with lentils instead of meat, which is a smoother and more pleasant texture. Hers is pretty damned good, too, though; it’s milder and more subtly-flavoured than my meaty efforts, which can tend towards the fireball end of the spectrum.

I have to admit that over this month I have been craving meat chili with a vengeance; I can just imagine it, thick, rich and dark brown, almost like a guisado, piled inside fluffy flour tortillas… Aagh! I’m torturing myself here.

Tomorrow will be without a post, as usual, because I’ll be at my grandfather’s in the evening. It also seems kind of fitting that the last few days of my experiment will be big posts with a lot of content. It just seems right to do it that way.

Anyway, I’m off to bed. G’night!

Dave and Si are back carving up the roads of the world on their motorbikes in search of adventurous food and foodie adventures. Their first book was a top-five bestseller and their second delivers more of the same: more laid-back, interesting food, more travel tales and fascinating stories, more humour and lots more fun. Their infectious enthusiasm and natural charm makes them a joy to watch and their delicious, relaxed food is a pleasure to cook and eat. The Hairy Bikers are hungry for more…

‘The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook is not so much a breath of fresh air as who left the bleeding door open…’ Guardian

Cardamom chicken; spiced pears in honey; aloo gobi; banana, cardamom and vanilla lassi; lamb chop pakoras; chicken in chorizo and brandy sauce; dulche de leche cheesecake; steak frites; mussels; pork chops with cider and apples; Belgian chocolate mousse; chicken tagine with lemons and olives; prawns with paprika and honey; chilli con carne; pomegranate and chickpea salad…

Til å byrje med må me få lov å be om årsak for at denne store nyhendinga ikke kom i går kveld, som lova. Det har seg nemlig slik her i kavesk, som overalt i militæret, at nokon får meir ansvar enn andre. Åtte av dei, som ein gong var nokon av dragonane i tropp 1, ble i går tildelt to vinkler for eksepsjonell innsats hittil i fyrstegongstenesta. Me vil i den samanheng gjerne bruke sjansen til å gratulere dei åtte nyklekka korporalene. Gratulerer med dagen kjære medsoldater!

Dei stolte korporaler poserer stolt foran kamara (ikkje til stades: Stabekk og Gravdal)

Men det er ikkje berre dei få utvalgte som fortjener ein stor gratulasjon. St. Georg og panserbataljonen hadde nemlig “bursdag” i går på sjølvaste St. Georgs dag, 23 april. I den anledning ble den til vanlig så heilage morgonvasken avbrote av kaffe og kaker i tv stova. St. Georg er nemlig kavaleriets skotshelgen. I følge tradisjoner var St. Georg ein kappadonisk kriger, som levde rundt år 200-300 e. Kr. Han ble skotshelgen for alle som var truet av krig og krigsfare. Legendane framstillar St. Georg som ung yndling til hest, alltid KTS (klar til strid)  mot urett og ondskap.

Og så litt om dagen i dag som omhandla M72, eit panserpenetreringsvåpen. Her lærte me raskt dei rette ildhandgrepa som må til for å kunne forårsake størst mogleg skade. Til dømes skoting frå kneståande, sjå bilete. Som om ikkje dette var nok, har me løpt 15 km. Fyrste gruppa brukte i overkant av ein time. Høyt akseptabelt, tatt vår (kremen av norsk ungdom) fysiske form med i rekneskapet. 

I messa i dag var det chilli con carne, noe vi merket ganske tidlig på dagens 15 km. Til middag var det pinnekjøtt, poteter (Ankre fikk ein sjuk potet, den var svart inni), kålrotstapp og pinnefett. Til dessert var det, tru det eller ei, rød gele med vaniljesaus. 

Dragon Karlsrud gjer korporal Sivertsen fientlige mål.

Brakkesjuka veks på alle måtar, og planane er store for framtida til denne bloggen. Dragon Davidsen ynskjer ein bit av kaka, og kommer med sin eiga variant av fem på gata. Du har kanskje og sett at det har skjedd ting på forsida, ukas feltrykte er det siste av det siste som vi har plukket opp på veg til Stripa. Takk for denne gang!

Dagens visdomsord:

If you want success you better get comfortable with rejection. The most successful people in life are also the world’s most biggest failures

HIER GEHT ES WEITER!

Http://www.Durstige-Maenner.de/Hullabalooza

Ingredients

2 medium onions

1 garlic clove

olive oil

2 tsp chilli powder

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin (or crushed cumin seeds)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

450g/1lb chuck steak, minced or best minced beef

200g/7oz sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

½ stick cinnamon

2 x 400g cans red kidney beans, drained

Method

1. To cook this I use a metal pan or casserole with a lid, which you can

use on the hob and in the oven. If you are going to use the oven method

then preheat the oven to 150C/ 300F/Gas 2.

2. Blitz the onions and garlic in the food processor until finely

chopped, then fry in a little olive oil until softened. Add the chilli

powder, fresh chilli, cumin and a little seasoning. Then add the minced

chuck steak or beef and continue to cook, stirring, until it has browned.

3. Blitz the sun-dried tomatoes in the food processor with enough oil

from the jar to loosen into a paste. Add these to the beef with the

tomatoes, cinnamon stick and a wine glass of water. Season a little more

if need be.

4. Bring to the boil, cover with greaseproof paper and the lid, then

either turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 1 ½ hours or transfer

the pan to the oven for about 1 ½ hours. Add the tinned kidney beans 30

minutes before the end of the cooking time – they are already cooked and

only need warming up.

5. This always tastes better if you cook it the day before (to give the

flavours time to develop), so its really handy if you’ve got friends

coming round and don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen. Just take it out

of the fridge and warm it up – serve with lots of fresh crusty bread, a

nice tossed salad, and a big blob of natural yoghurt or guacamole