Chilli Con Carne

Who doesn't like a chili, that kick in your dinner. Well I know I do. I am a chili freak. I don't really feel the heat anymore. Luckily enough both my kids are OK with it. So I don't have any problem with spicy dinners. You can always avoid to put a chili in, maybe just a little a powder to give that light chili kick. Well a dollop of sour cream and guacamole works just fine with me.

Chili Con Carne

Ingredients

1 tin chickpeas
1 tin kidney beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 small carrots
2 celery sticks
1 red pepper
1 chili (deseeded if you don't want to much spice)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground chili

For the rice

1 cup of rice
2 knobs of butter
A drizzle of olive oil
Half the juice of a life
Seasoning

For the Jacket potatoes

2 jacket potatoes
Seasoning
Olive oil
Rosemary
A clove of garlic

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: About 1 hour
Total Time: Over an hour

Method

Get all the ingredients ready. In a hot and sizzling pan fry the mince. This is done separately because of all the fat that comes out form the meat. Therefore it won't thicken well enough for you. When the mince is ready cooked, pick it up with a slotted spoon and put a side for a while. Remove all the fat from the pan. Add some more oil to the pan and add the onions . Soften for five minutes and the carrots and the celery. Cook away for another five minutes before adding the red pepper, the chili and the crushed garlic. Now add all the spices. Mix it all well and fry for 3 more minutes, or until all combined. Now drain the kidney beans and the chickpeas and into the pan with the rest of the vegetables, alongside with the chopped tomatoes. Fill the tin of your tomatoes with water and in the pan it goes. Stir it all and bring to boil. Leave uncovered and simmer on a low heat for about 45minutes to an hour , you want all the water to evaporate. If you think it' dry before taking time to cook away, add another splash of water to it. You want to cook well ,to release all the flavours.
For the jackets, stab all over and put in a microwave proof bowl. Add all the ingredients and cover with cling film. Put in the microwave for 15 minutes. Check them by stabbing them with knife before serving them. You want to make sure they are well cooked before you serve it.
For the rice , put it in a pan with all the ingredients and cover with water. Cover and cook for about 13 minutes, until all the water is evaporated.