Cool Summer Chilli

This is a recipe I originally found on the Jamie Oliver website and have made a couple of times since then. It’s a great alternative to the standard chilli and, whilst it still has the spice and some chilli powder in it, it’s perfect for the warmer summer evenings with generous sprinkle of cheddar cheese or a splodge of cooling sour cream. I recently made this for my friend Jess who, with her partner Scott, is one of the most regular visitors to the City Kitchen. Jess isn't a huge fan of beans in food, but this recipe even managed to win her over. It's a sure fire winner and definite crowd pleaser!

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

Splash of Olive Oil (Extra virgin ideally)

½ an onion, chopped finely

1 red and 1 green pepper, chopped into small pieces

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon of chilli powder (more if you prefer)

1 tin of red kidney beans

Salt and pepper to season and a quick shake of dried basil.

For the crispy shells:

Tortilla wraps

Toppings:

Cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Method:

Heat the oil in a frying pan (I use a wok, but any large frying pan will do) and add the onion. When added the onion should sizzle in the hot oil. Stir immediately until the onion softens but doesn't brown.

Add the chopped red and green peppers and continue to stir for about 5 minutes, until softened.

Once the ingredients have softened, add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Sometimes I add a dash of water at this stage if I am going to leave it to simmer for a while. Add the kidney beans and the chilli powder and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes, seasoning if necessary and adding the dried basil.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees (or 150 if you’re using fan assisted). Tear off 4 strips of tin foil (about 2 ft each one) and scrunch into a ball of about 4 inches diameter. Wrap the tortilla loosely around these until each forms a simple ball, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until crisp. After 10 minutes has passed, remove from the oven and extract the tin foil from the centre.

Spoon the hot chilli into the prepared tortilla shells and serve with a generous sprinkle of cheddar cheese or a healthy dollop of sour cream. I usually serve this with a fresh rocket salad as this really compliments the sweet chilli flavour.

Variations:

If you like your chilli hot, after you have softened the onion, add ½ a teaspoon of chilli powder, ½ a teaspoon of cumin powder and then follow the same procedure as above. A good slug of red wine will add to the richness of the flavours too. (I usually make this version in the winter and serve over home-made potato wedges).

I am also a fan of adding some Quorn mince to this recipe after adding the chopped tomatoes and the kidney beans. This will mean you need to add about ¼ of a can of water to the mixture as the Quorn always seems to soak up loads of the tomato juice.