Sluttishly Savoury: Choco-Chilli con Carne

This chilli has lots of ingredients, but at least it all goes in one pot so whoever does the washing up can take it easy. It's one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day, so make a huge pan full and keep some in the fridge for an emergency after work dinner. Or freeze it in freezer bags and reheat from frozen by putting the whole bag in a pan of boiling water for around 20 minutes.

Don't fear the cocoa, it doesn't make the chilli taste sweet or overly chocolatey, it just adds a bit of depth to the flavour. And without it, it would just be a plain old Chilli con Carne, which isn't half as fun.


Choco-Chilli con Carne (serves 4)

You’ll need:

• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 500g minced beef
• 1tbsp cocoa powder
• 8tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 tins kidney beans
• 100ml water

Make it!

• Heat a glug of oil in a large saucepan. Fry the onions, garlic, celery and carrots until softened but not browned.
• Add the cumin, coriander and chilli flakes and cook for a minute more.
• Add the minced beef and stir to break it up. Cook until the mince is all browned.
• Stir in the cocoas, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, beans and water.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
• Serve with chopped coriander, sour cream and grated cheese if you like.