calling all you foodies out there for your help

[jack daniels]

Hi Abers,
I'm going to make a chilli beef (using minced beef) tomorrow night for dinner, can anyone give me a tried & tested good recipe please and some ideas apart from rice or potatoes that I could serve it with.
Thanks in advance x

[bananie]

have chilli and nachos; buy some nachos and spread them on a plate and heat in the over for a couple of minutes. heat the chilli and spread on top of the nachos, cover with grated cheese and return to the oven until the cheese has melted. service with guacamole and sour cream. delish

[bananie]

**serve!!

[jack daniels]

Thanks bananie,
that was quick! I like the idea you've come up with, Thanks
I would like a recipe for the chilli beef (using mince) itself too please - anyone?

[hau kola]

Make a normal chilli,not forgetting a bit of sugar,then put it in an ovenproof dish sprinkle with cheese and brown under the grill.Serve with salad and garlic bread.

[bananie]

dice an onion finely and chop some garlic - fry in a little olive oil until tender, add the mince beef and 2 teaspoons of chilli powder (or as much as you can stand!). Add some tabasco and a tin of chopped tomatoes and cook for about 1/2 hr or so towards the end add a tin of red kidney beans in chilli sauce (you can get them from asda or tesco).

[pastafreak]

I will post you one in about an hour,jack....gotta go watch CSI...lol

[jack daniels]

Thanks again bananie - forgot to mention rest of the JD family don't like kidney beans, so I make it without but it's basically how I make it.
pastafreak - Look forward to reading later

[pastafreak]

500gm lean beef mince, 1 large onion-chopped, 2 fat cloves garlic-crushed, 2tsp ground cumin, 1-2 tsp paprika(smoked spanish is best), 1/2tsp or more chillie powder, tomato puree, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tin kidney beans. saute onions & garlic til soft, add all the ground spices and keep frying til the colour gets darker-about 5min,turn up heat to med-high and add the mince-keep frying and break up the lumps-5-10 min. add the tomatoes, 1tablespoon puree and a splash of worchester sauce. Turn heat down to low and let bubble away for 1hr+..add kidney beans and cook 30min more...yum!

[lumsdale]

Some great recipieshave been put forward here. Im a little confused though. Is Chilli Beef a Mexican or Italian dish?Do both have beans, as in Chiilli con Carne? I know some people use a little cocoa or chocolate to mellow the heat a little and add a richness to the sauce. Sounds odd but it really does work. The Cheese topping with Nachos also works if you crumble up the nachos ontop of the cooked chilli then sprinkle the cheese and grill or oven bake to finish. One of my favorite tips for adding a touch of sweetness and heat is to add some sweet pepper sauce to the chilli when cooking.

[hau kola]

As i said earlier,a little sugar is needed in a chilli.

[oculist]

With a good hot chilli, you can't beat hot, buttered toast! The sweetness of the butter cuts through the heat of the chilli like a dream.

[pastafreak]

sour cream does that also...chocolate is used alot in Mexican cookery

[valerieb1254]

Hi jd,
If the family don't like kidney beans try using a tin of baked beans instead.
Val.

[Lueclue]

my little tip for delicious chilli con carne, add two squares of finely grated dark chocolate shortly before serving, and stir in - slurrp!

[jack daniels]

Thanks for all the people that took the trouble to reply - I'm salavating at the thought of cooking this tonight!
some really good tips & ideas.
it's chilli beef using mince that I'm making, so I suppose it's going to be similar to chilli con carne (apart from the rest of the JD family not liking kidney beans or baked beans like valerie suggested)
They don't like hardly any bean - or anything that's remotely good for you LOL!
pastafreak - love your recipe. - did you not watch CSI then?
I'm too much of a coward to try chocolate in this but I too have heard that it works.

[FluffyFairy]

I always add a couple of beef oxo cubes to my chilli... i just love the flavour!. We serve it on baked potatoes with salted skin done in the oven. mmmmmm. mmmm.mmmmm.

[gravytate]

i have a reallyu delicious one. Go buy some french bread and slice it up. smear crushed galick on both sides then butter. Put in the oven and toast for 15-20 mins gas mark 6. When there is 6 minutes left on the timer. Take 1 tin of baked beans and seive it collecting all the delicious juice. Put the juice in a pan and bring to the boil adding salt and pepper. then add corn flower (pre mixed with cold water) to get a reaklly thick delicious sauce. Just at the last minute add chinese 5 spices with a dash of tobasco. Put the toast on the plate and drizzle the delicious sause over it with the con carne next to it.

Hope this helps

[bananie]

why didn't you just ask pastafreak seeing as how you just loved all her recipes anyway????? lol

[jack daniels]

Now why didn't I think of that? LOL
Hint of jealousy bananie???? LOL
I gave you good ratings & I already serve them like you suggested, so great minds think alike anyway! (you & moi that is)
All ideas appreciated & then mix & match