Chipotle Chilli (beef/pork)

I got these dried chipotle chillies from ocado (as you know I love a Waitrose product), been meaning to use them for a while. I wanted a slow cooked, prepped/plan ahead dish, so I searched online as I always do. I came across a recipe for chipotle chilli beef that attracted me, it was from an American website with a few miscellaneous ingredients, with a cupful here and a cupful there. As usual I decided to tweak the recipe to what I had in the cupboard, changing the quantities to suit my palette....easy on the chipotles, they're lethal!!!!   

Who doesn't love a chilli con carne?? But sometimes I want the kick of a chilli/meat dish with a twist, whether it be smokey, sweet, sour, warm spiced. I love a Hungarian Goulash (with either pork or beef), with it's earthy paprikary undertones. I also love a stroganoff, sour cream with peppers, slightly piquant with a spritz of lemon.

This, for me is another one of those dishes to add to my list. Easy bowl food, served with rice in front of the telly with a cold beer on the side. Like the fact also you could easily impress guests with this as a table centrepiece, a relaxed informal meal with tacos and dips on the side. 

This works with beef or pork. Beef - use a cheap cut like featherblade, flank end or silverside. Pork - I like to use shoulder. Could also work with a whole joint of meat but would require longer/slower cooking. 

So this is recipe, roughly serves 4 (or 3 hungry adults)

To make this stew you'll need:

500g pork shoulder steaks/stewing beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

1-2 chipotle dried chillies, depending how brave you feel

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp light brown sugar 

1 tsp ground cumin 

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 water

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 tin of red kidney beans (or pinto beans I like)

Salt and pepper

Chopped fresh coriander

Brown off meat in a large heavy bottomed casserole in batches, season well. When it's started to caramelise around the edges place to one side. Add onion, garlic and chillies and sweat for a bit. Return meat to pan and add rest of ingredients, tinned toms, cider vinegar, sugar and spices. Finally season well, mix a bit, place lid on in put in a preheated oven 160degrees (or a lower temp for longer, there's no hardened rules with this). After an hour or so check to see if meat is tender. Add peppers and beans and a little more water to slacken stew. Place lid back on and return to oven for 30 mins to another hour. The result should be a thick unctuous stew with meat that should be easy to break with a spoon.

This is amazing served with a blob of sour cream, rice and fresh coriander. Also nice wrapped in warm tortillas or spooned into taco shells with a fresh avocado salsa on the side. Go wild, have it with what you fancy! 

Anne