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

My take on Delia's Latin American beef stew

I wanted to cook a different type of beef stew, as was fed up of doing the usual "English" beef and ale, red wine casserole or chunky chilli con carne. I had remembered doing this a long type ago, from Delia's how to series. It was rich and yet subtle. I love the addition of butternut squash and pepper. I'd decided to add a few of my own ingredients which I knew would only enhance this rich dish. In the original recipe, she uses sweetcorn. I didn't have any! 

I love the taste of fresh coriander, so I've added the finely chop stalks in this. Result - it was amazing!!!!! We've got leftovers today, so will taste even better. Enjoy!!!

Around 600g-750g braising or featherblade steak, fat removed
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
2-5 cloves of garlic crushed
A bunch of coriander stalks, finely sliced
1 aubergine, roughly chopped in chunky pieces
2 yellow/red peppers
Half a butternut squash, roughly chopped in chunks
1 red chilli (deseeded if not liking it too hot)
1tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tin tomatoes
A glass of brown ale
A glass of red/white wine
S&P and a few pinches of sugar
Coriander leaves to serve and dollop of sour cream

Brown off meat in two batches, season accordingly and remove. Add onion, leek, garlic and chilli. Add flour and spices, colour slightly. Place meat back in casserole. Add peppers, bns, aubergine, sweat slightly then add ale and reduce, now add tinned tomatoes followed by a good glug/small glass of wine. Season well, and a few pinches of sugar. Lid on and place in oven for 2-3 hours. Serve with rice. This will feed about 4 hungry people.


Anne