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I love to make a big chilli and serve the next day. I feel quite smug that I’ve done all the work the day before and literally I only need to warm it up. It’s even better the next day as all the gorgeous flavours have time to infuse the beef overnight making it more delicious. I like to make it with stewing steak, cooked low and slow so it falls apart as we prefer it to steak mince.

Perfect weekend food when you’re busy all day and want to come home in the evening to some stress free, comfort food.

Serve with fluffy white rice or a crisp jacket potato and some garlic bread straight from the oven. We love it with a blob of guacamole or sour cream and a glass of red. This is definitely one for the weekend.

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g stewing beef (chopped into 1cm cubes)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 teaspoons paprika

4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons garlic granules

1 teaspoon onion granules

2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 tablespoons tomato pureé

1 tin kidney beans in chilli sauce

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 cloves garlic – minced

3 shallots – diced

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

50ml red wine

2 tablespoons chilli powder

100ml water

1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons Worcester Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan and pan fry your diced shallots until they soften and set aside on a plate.

Once you have diced your beef into small cubes transfer back to the pan you were pan frying your onions in and brown the meat. You may need to add a glug or two more of olive oil. Add all of your spices and oregano and garlic, stirring the meat all the time.

Now add your onions back in along with your chopped tomatoes, kidney beans in chilli sauce and tomato pureé. Stir to combine.

While this is gently simmering add your Worcester sauce, red wine and water. Stir gently to mix all the ingredients together, cover and leave to simmer ( while still keeping an eye out) for approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes. Make sure you stir every twenty minutes or so. After such a long cooking time on a low heat the meat will be wonderfully tender and fall apart.

You can eat right away but it’s so much better the next day. You’ll be so chuffed with yourself when all you need to do is heat it up and serve.

Fact: Chilli powder has many health benefits and is thought to act as an anti-inflammatory agent which can help sore muscles and also increases blood flow.