No More Twist

I thought I’d share some recipies that I’ve evolved. I can’t claim they are original. Who hasn’t made chilli at some point or other? They are tasty, and that’s my only promise. I’m not a pro chef or anything so you won’t get exact measurements, preparation times or numbers of servings. You’ll just have to experiment!

Veg Chilli

I used to make beef chilli but have been turned vegetarian. If you like mince then you can tweak this recipe, frying mince with the onions and leaving out some of the beans. It’s still tasty.

1 tbsp ground coriander
garlic cloves to taste
1 large chopped onion
1-2 chopped peppers
sliced mushrooms
chopped fresh chillies to taste
1-2 tins chopped tomatoes
optional tomato puree
1 small tin sweetcorn
1 tin red kidney beans
2 tins other beans (borlotti, haricot, butter beans, chickpeas)
Fruity sauce (eg. Pickapeppa, Worcestershire or tamarind)
Juice of 1-2 limes
Chilli sauce (eg. Tabasco)
Fresh coriander leaves

You’ll need a huge pan for this, something the size of a wok is ideal. Fry the onions, add the peppers, chillies and ground coriander. When they are soft add a tin or two of chopped tomatoes (or one tin and some tomato puree). Put in some crushed garlic. Then put in some sliced mushrooms, small tin of sweetcorn, the drained tins of beans.

Bring it to the boil then reduce the heat. Taste it and add lime juice, salt, fruity sauce etc. until it’s just right. You can add some chilli sauce if it’s not hot enough. Let it cook through for another 10 minutes or so. Just before serving, stir in a great wad of chopped fresh coriander. Serve with fluffy rice, french bread, tortillas or similar.

Any that’s not eaten will chill or freeze well, and usually tastes even better the next day. You can wrap it up in corn tortilla parcels and cover with grated cheese, then bake in a low oven for cheesy burritos. Delicious!

Vodka Guacamole

This is good for a side dish for dipping things into, or as part of a plate of nachos.

2-3 Avocados
1 clove of garlic
1-2 limes
3/4 cup Vodka
Hot chilli sauce
Fresh coriander leaves
Fresh tomatoes (have to be tasty ones)

The avocados have to be ripe – slightly soft. If they are a bit discoloured that’s fine. Slice into the avocado all the way to the stone with a knife. Twist the halves to separate them, then poke the stones out. Scoop the flesh into a bowl with a spoon. Mash the flesh roughly with a fork.

Chop the tomatoes finely. They have to be ones that really taste of tomato – small plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes are good. The quantity to aim for is about a third as much as the amount of avocado flesh you have.

Mix the avocado, chopped tomatoes and crushed garlic. Add salt, lime juice and chilli sauce to taste. Add the chopped coriander leaves. Stir in the vodka. As if by magic, the mix can take a fair bit of vodka without going runny.

Serve it straight away with nachos, crusty bread or similar.

Chopped peppers

Work In Progress

The Finished Meal