Chilli beans are a quick, easy and cheap dinner full of flavour and just enough Mexican influence to satisfy that smokey spice craving. What’s even better is that it’s super versatile: serve with couscous; brown rice; or use it as a base for nachos and serve with corn chips, lime wedges, diced avocado. This serves 6, but when cooking for 3 or less use 1 tin of tomatoes and 2 tins of beans. Chipotle chillies in adobo sauce can be found at specialist delis – be warned, they are very spicy. If you are looking to reduce the heat but retain the flavour, remove the seeds before finely chopping. A Neil Perry recipe published in a weekend magazine included a serious misprint – 3 tins instead of 3 chillies. We learnt the hard way!! The jalapeño dressing for the salsa is from Jamie Oliver’s Everyday Super Food. Although you only use 2 tablespoons, the rest can be kept in the fridge for other meals.
- olive oil
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 red capsicum, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 chipotle chilli in adobo sauce, finely chopped (or ½ teaspoon chilli powder)
- salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 x 400g tins, whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 x 410g tins, red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- couscous or brown rice
- greek yoghurt or sour cream, to serve
- 1 x 200g jar jalapeños
- ½ bunch fresh coriander
- 2 spring onions
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion, carrot , capsicum and garlic until soft and tender.
- Add the spices, pepper and chipotle chilli and cook for a further couple of minutes.
- Tip in the tins of tomatoes and break them up with a spoon so they are no longer whole . Fill one of the tomato tins with water and add to the pan and stir.
- Add the tins of beans and stir everything together. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Leave to cook for 20 minutes.
- Season with salt and let it simmer until the chilli is nicely thickened. Check seasoning and serve with couscous or brown rice, salsa and sour cream.
- Tip the jalapeños and their liquid into a blender and rip in the coriander. Blend until smooth, then return to the jar.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes, trim and finely slice the spring onions and place both in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the jalapeño sauce, and stir to combine.
No Comments