Sluttishly Vegetarian: Quorn Chilli

A huge pot of chilli simmering away on the hob all afternoon is one of the best ways to cheer up a cold and rainy day. The sound of it bubbling away, the smell of spices floating through the house, the way it gets more delicious the longer you can bear to leave it....mmmm. But I'd been disappointed by veggie chilli, which always tasted a bit weak and feeble compared to its meaty cousin. I'd given up on ever making a decent version until a friend gave me this recipe, which I've slightly adapted (read: added more spices). It packs in flavour and oomph and makes for an enormously satisfying dinner.

You'll need:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, cut into chunks
• 300g Quorn mince
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 glass of red wine
• 200ml vegetable stock
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vegetarian Worcester sauce
• 2 red chillis, finely chopped
• 1 tin of kidney beans
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp of tomato pureé

Make it!

1. Heat the oil in your biggest saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook gently until softened.
2. Add the Quorn and garlic. When it's browned, add half the vegetable stock. Sprinkle on the chilli powder, cumin, coriander and cinnamon and give it a good stir.
3. Pour in the red wine and remaining stock. Boil until the liquid is almost gone. It takes a while but this dish deserves patience.
4. Add the Worcester sauce, chopped chillis and kidney beans and gently bring to the boil.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and pureé.

And that's it! I know the order you throw everything into the pot looks a bit odd, but trust me, it works. Enjoy it with rice, sour cream and the rest of that wine. The bottle's open, it'd be a shame to waste it.

Image from pudstah's Flickr photostream.