It's getting chilly

"Mummy, I want to tell you something but I'm scared you'll be cross"... Children, as even the childless know, have an infinite capacity to surprise - but no-one was more surprised than me when Child 2 told me that she wants to be a vegetarian. She's 8. We need to talk about the reasons for this, but not 30 seconds before she gets on the school bus. So, to try and change her mind I made a chilli beef casserole.

Thick, rich, glossy chilli

Chilli beef casserole

2 onions, chopped

500g diced beef - I cut each piece in half again as they were a bit large

1 red pepper

30g plain flour

Tin of tomatoes

Tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce

Oxo cube

A large glass of red wine

Pre-heat oven to 180/gas 4. Fry the onions and pepper in a splosh of oil over a medium-high heat in a casserole dish. Add the steak and keep stirring until it has browned, then add the flour and stir well for another minute or so. Tip in the tomatoes, Oxo cube and wine and keep stirring until the mixture thickens. Finally, add the kidney beans and sauce, and about half the empty tin of water. Stir some more until it starts to bubble, then turn off the heat, put a lid on it and transfer to the oven for 2 - 2 and a half hours. 

Go all out and serve with rice, (blue corn) tortilla chips, grated cheese and home made guacamole.

Guacamole: Mash a ripe avocado with a good squeeze of lemon juice, a couple of pinches of salt and half a clove of crushed garlic.