A fantastic, Mexican-inspired take on an old favourite. The perfect dish if you're having friends round for dinner.
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 medium onions, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 11/2 tsp crushed dried chillies
- 4 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2kg lean minced beef
- 6 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 600ml beef stock, hot
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 4 roasted red peppers from a jar, drained
- 2 x 400g cans red kidney beans in water, rinsed and drained
For the spicy polenta cobbler
- 400g plain flour
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed dried chillies
- 175g polenta
- 125g Cheddar, finely grated
- 2 medium eggs
- 350ml milk
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 50g butter, melted
Method
- 1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the chillies, cumin and cayenne and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the beef and cook over a high heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it browns. Add the purée, sugar, oregano, beef stock and tomatoes, bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 minutes, until reduced and thickened.
- 2. Finely chop the peppers and stir into the meat with the kidney beans. Season, then spoon into 2 x 2.75-3-litre shallow, oval ovenproof dishes.
- 3. Make the cobbler. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir in the chillies, polenta and 100g grated cheese. Beat the eggs, milk, oil and melted butter together and stir into the dry ingredients.
- 4. Drop 8 spoonfuls of the mixture around the edge of each dish, about 2.5cm apart, and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
- 5. To freeze, cool, then cover 1 dish with cling film and freeze until firm. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw for 24 hours in the fridge, then bring up to room temperature.
- 6. To cook, preheat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Bake for 20 minutes, until bubbling and the topping is puffed up and golden.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 590kcals, 30.7g fat (10.5g saturated), 40.2g protein, 43.9g carbs, 8.3g sugar, 1.8g salt