Supper for six - Part 1: Chilli con carne

Last Saturday, I cooked a simple supper for six lovely people: Ben, Bryony, Laura, and Anthony. They provided the drinks, we provided the food.

The main course was a chilli which I found in a Good Food recipe book. It was pretty straightforward and tasted good. However, it tasted a lot better when we ate the leftovers the day after! Note to self: make this one a day ahead.

Chilli con carne - serves 6-8

1. Heat 2 tbsp veg oil in a large pan. Fry 1 red onion, finely chopped, until soft.
2. Add 2 chopped red peppers, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tsp chilli powder, 2 tsp paprika, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried marjoram and fry, stirring, for 5 mins.
3. Tip in 1 kg minced beef. Fry until brown, breaking up lumps with the spoon.
4. Crumble in 1 beef stock cube, then add 600ml water, 2 400g cans chopped tomatoes, 3 tbsp tomato puree, and 1 tsp sugar.
5. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for at least 30 mins. If it dries out, add hot water from the kettle.
6. Stir in 2 400g cans kidney beans and heat through uncovered for 10 mins.
7. Remove from the heat. Let it stand for 10-15 mins before serving, or cool it, fridge it, and serve it the next day.

Easy! Anyone could make this recipe. You just need the ingredients, a chopping board, a knife, a large pan, and a wooden spoon. We ate it with rice and salad.