Chilli

Inspired by a lively and colourful Mexican restaurant in Brighton’s North Laine, I decided on a big, vegetarian chilli con-carne to feed my lovely cousins who travelled all the way down the country to see me this weekend.
Bold, bright and spicy; this dish emulates the food and the decor of La Choza - that fabulous Mexican. And my wonderful guests. 

The leftovers are very plentiful and improve in flavour if left to their own devices overnight. It was bloody tasty re-heated and dolloped on hot baked potatoes covered in plenty of grated cheese the next day.

Beans are the star of a chilli. They’re protein-packed, squishy, flavour-absorbing bursts of loveliness. An ultimate frugal ingredient too. I used kidney beans because I think they have a smoother interior than cannellini or pinto but all are good. Chickpeas would be welcome too.

It’s the colours of this meal that make it so good. That, the endless G&T’s that were being poured, and the music and dancing made the evening we ate this one of the merriest I’ve had for ages! 

Veggie Chilli

2 sweet potatoes

1 red onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper

2 cloves of garlic 

2x 400g tins of beans

2x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 or 2 tsp of spice - cumin, cayenne or paprika

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas 6.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite-sized chunks. Sprinkle with the spices and some salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat, then spread out on a baking tray and set aside.
3. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Halve, deseed and roughly chop the peppers. Peel and finely chop the garlic. 
4. Put the sweet potatoes in the hot oven for 40 minutes, or until soft and golden.
5. Meanwhile, put a large pan over a medium-high heat and add a couple lugs of olive oil. Add the onion, peppers and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or so. 
6. Drain the beans, then tip them into the pan with the tinned tomatoes. Stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce to a medium-low heat and leave for 25 to 30 minutes, or until thickened and reduced. Keep an eye on it, and add a splash of water if it gets a bit thick.
7. Serve with chopped coriander if you’ve got it, atop some steaming rice and dolloped wit sour cream, salsa and or guacamole.