This is a chilli recipe tailored specifically for use in Chilli Pie. Chilli Pie is the chilli below topped with boiled sliced potatoes and grated cheddar cheese, baked in the oven until the cheese is just starting to brown. I suspect it'd work equally well with a shepard's-pie-style mashed potato topping; I'm just not really a fan of mashed potatoes. Chilli Pie is a great meal if you want something that you can cook and put the remainder in the fridge to eat tomorrow; it reheats very well in the microwave.
Serves six very hungry people.
- Olive oil
- 3 medium-sized onions
- 1 red chilli pepper
- 4 green chilli peppers (adjust to taste; this produces a chilli that I'd describe as being of moderate heat, and most people would probably think very hot)
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1kg minced beef
- 4tsp dried oregano
- 3tsp ground cumin
- 3tsp cumin seeds
- 2tsp ground coriander
- 5tsp paprika ("a lot of paprika")
- 2 beef stock cubes
- Lots of ground black pepper
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- Half a tube of tomato puree
- A bunch of fresh coriander, about half an inch diameter at the stalks
Put olive oil in pan on medium-high heat. Dice half the onions and cut the other half into strips. Cut the chilli peppers into small strips (keeping the seeds). Once the oil is hot, crush the garlic into the pan, add the onions and chilli strips, and stir (adding a bit more oil if it's sticking a lot); cook until the onions are starting to go translucent. Add the beef, stock cubes, herbs and spices, stir vigorously to break up the beef, and cook until the beef is showing no visible pink. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree, stir, and cook for another 15 minutes. Chop the fresh coriander and stir it in. Use in pie.