Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne

Days are getting shorter and colder. We need to warm our bellies and this dish delivers.

Serves 6

Before cooking

1 tbsp Plain Flour
1 Onion, chopped
1 Red Pepper, Chopped
2 Red Chillies, de seeded and roughly chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
500g Mince Beef
400g Can of Chopped Tomatoes
600ml Beef Stock
1 tsp Smoked Paprike
1 tsp Chilli Powder (strength your own choice, I used Hot)
1 tsp Cumin
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
400g Can Red Kidney Beans
50g Dark Chocolate
Olive Oil

1. Turn your slow cooker on. If you want to cook for longer put on low. If you want a quicker cook turn to high. If there is a removeable hob safe dish take out and put on hob with a bit of olive oil over a medium heat. If not use a frying pan. Add the onion and mince beef. Leave in til the meat begins to brown and the onion soften. Put the pan back in the slow cooker or add the frying pan contents to the slow cooker.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients apart from the chocolate and season. Give a stir. And leave for the following

-Low - 7 - 8 Hours
- Medium -  5 - 6 Hours
- High - 3 - 4 Hours

3. 30 Minutes before end add the dark chocolate and stir. Leave for 30 minutes. Serve with rice or other side you would like. Can be stored and eaten later. Allow time to cool before putting in containers and storing in Fridge or Freezer.

After Cooking

Serving Suggestion

Mince Pies

So in one of my previous posts I showed you to make the mincemeat. Now we make the pastry and bake some mince pies. Grab your brandy butter, you're in for a treat.

Makes 18-20 Pies

350g Plain Flour, extra for dusting
250g Butter, cubed
150g Light Brown Sugar, bit extra for the topping
2 Eggs, one for the mix and one for glazing
Jar of Mincemeat (make your own here)


1, Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan assisted. Get a mixing bowl and add the flour with the butter. Get your hands stuck in and begin to rub between your fingers til the mixture resembles crumbs. Once it looks like crumbs add the sugar and mix well with your hands (why create more washing up).

2. Add a beaten the egg and mix in. The mixture should be able to stay together. Knead it for a few seconds and mold to a ball shape and wrap in cling film. Put in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

3. Dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour. Take out the dough. I split the dough in half as I have a small work surface. One for the base and the other for the tops. Roll out the dough til you get thickness like £1 coin.

4. I used a 12 holed shallow baking tray (see below). I used a 7cm circular cutter to make the base and tops. Cut the dough and line the tray. Spoon about two teaspoons into each pastry. Brush the edges of the base of the pastry with the egg wash.  Then top with the pastry and press lightly. Then apply another egg wash on the top and sprinkle with some light brown sugar. Put a couple of slices on the top so the filling doesn't explode.

5. Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden brown. Serve with Brandy butter, cream or munch as a naughty snack.


TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT: If you have any rolling icing left, use that as the top to wow your friends.

Iced Mince Pies

This will be my final recipe for the year. Will be back on the 8th January. You can follow me on twitter @PsychGamerFood or follow me on Instagram at bakingwizard.

Mincemeat

Seriously its simple to make your own mincemeat. Kind of got bored making a Christmas cake every year so this year im going to make those small bits of Christmas. Starting off making the Mince for the pies. Yes you could get the ready made stuff but I find it too sugary. So give this a go. For the vegetarian option use vegetarian suet instead of the original.

Makes 1 litre jar

500g Mixed Dry Fruit
100g Suet
1 Bramley Apple, peeled and grated
2 tsp Mixed Spices
80ml Brandy
150g Brown Sugar
Juice and Zest of an Orange
Juice and Zest of a Lemon

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and give it a good mix.

2. Sterilize the jar before putting the mincemeat in the jar. Do this by cleaning with warm soap water and placing in the oven for 5 minutes at 150c.

3. Once the jar has cooled down, spoon the mixture into the jar. I would advise leaving the mixture to absorb the flavours for about 2 weeks before putting in the pies.

I will do the mince pies recipes in a couple of weeks. Watch this space

Stuffed Lamb Meatballs Tagliatelle

I had some lamb left over and decided to make a pasta meal.

Makes for 2 People

Meatballs

225g Lamb Mince

Feta Cheese (about 75g), cut into small cubes

Olive Oil

Sauce
400g Can of Chopped Tomatoes
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
75g Green Olives
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Dried Oregano
125ml Red Wine
Salt and Pepper

150g Tagliatelle
Knob of Butter

1. For the meatballs take a bit of mince and round it to a ball. Depending on how big you want your meatballs. Tip: Don't do them too big or they could fall apart in the pan. Then make a dent in the balls and place the feta cheese in it. Then cover with the meat so it's in the centre. You can make 10-12 meatballs.

2. Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in the frying pan. Fry the meatballs until they are browned on all sides. Then add the garlic and onions and fry for a further 2 minutes until the onions soften.

3. Then add the red wine. Allow a few minutes for it to reduce and add the chopped tomatoes and herbs to the frying pan. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. 2 minutes before the sauce is done add the olives to the pan. Season if needed.

4. Boil a pan of water and cook the tagliatelle, while the sauce is cooking. Follow the instructions on the pasta pack. Using fresh may take less time. Drain the pan and add the knob of butter.

5. Once both the pasta and sauce are done, put the pasta in a bowl and add the sauce (make sure both servings have equal meatballs otherwise there will be complaints).  Serve Immediately