My sweetie friend H had a birthday recently and I gave her a crockpot – so this post, a starter recipe, is for her!
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| Crockpot loaded with chili ingredients and ready to go! |
You’ll need:
- 500g of beef cut into chunks (the cheaper the better – don’t use steak!)
- a tin of tomatoes or a jar of tomato sauce (I like to add a spoonful of sugar, to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes)
- an onion, roughly chopped (if you happen to have one)
- a carrot, roughly chopped (if you happen to have one)
- a stock cube (beef, chicken…whatever you have on hand)
- a good shake of chili flakes
- salt and pepper
- a little water or red wine
- a can of kidney beans
Dump everything into the crockpot except the kidney beans. Now, listen up. You do not need to brown the meat. If you want to brown the meat, go ahead. But it is not necessary! [she typed…Queen of Shortcuts]
Cover the whole shebang with a little water. Or a swig or two of leftover red wine, if you happen to have any. But remember, no kidney beans just yet. Pop the lid on, fire her up (‘low’ – if you will be away all day, ‘high’ if you only have the afternoon) and go off and do something else.
Add the kidney beans about 30 minutes to 1 hour before you are going to eat (turn the crockpot up to high, to give it a good bubble).
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| Add the kidney beans at the end of the cooking time. |
Serve the chili in large bowls. We didn’t bother with rice or bread but topped it with tortilla chips, guacamole, crème fraîche, grated cheddar cheese and sliced red pepper. Yum!
Bon appétit!
Diane :o)