By: Barbara Turney Wieland ( BTW)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
3 medium onoins
4 cloves of garlic
i fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3 tsps chilli powder
1 tsp oregano
1 heaped tbsp cumin powder
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500gr diced steak ( 1 cm dice)
500gr best mince beef
250gr your favourite sausage, skin removed and squashed
200gr sun-dried tomatoes, in olive oil
2 x 400 gr tins of chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
half a stick of cinnamon
2 tbsps of pure cocoa
optional:
1 cup of diced zucchini ( squash)
1 cup of diced red pepper
a handful of soaked and dried cashew nuts
Instructions: Put the onions and garlic in a food processor and whiz them until finely chopped. Using a big, oven proof casserole pot (with a lid), heat the olive oil and gently fry onions and garlic until soft. Add the chilli, chilli power, cumin, oregano and a bit of seasoning. Add first the diced steak and cook until browned, followed by the mince and the sausage. Continue cooking until all the meat has browned.
Whiz the sun-dried tomatoes in enough oil from the jar to form a paste. Add to the meat with the canned tomatoes, the cinnamon stick, bay leaves and a wineglass of water.
Bring to the boil and reduce heat. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and the lid. Either simmer gently on the stove for 1 and a half hours or pop into a slow oven ( 150oC/300oF) for about the same time.
Add one or more of the “options” about half an hour before the end of the cooking time with the cocoa powder.
( cocoa gives a lovely, intense richness)
Notes: This recipe always tastes better if made the day before ( gives the flavours time to develop) so it is a handy dish if you have guests coming. You make it in advance and just need to warm it up and serve with a big bowl of guacamole and a crisp green salad. Yummy, yummy!
ps, don’t be afraid of using the cocoa powder, it really is a subtle addition to the flavours.
BTW
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