Beef Chilli with Potato and Mange Tout

Beef and Potato Chilli, served with diced mange tout.

Ground beef mince, browned in sunflower oil, for around twenty five minutes. After that, diced carrot and onion were added to the beef, along with a single chopped garlic clove, and some deseeded red chilli.

Cooked for a further twenty minutes under glass, after which about 200 mls of boiling water, along with the beef stock. In addition, I added about half a dessert spoonful of cornmeal, mixed with cold water, and stirred the mixture into the beef.

The potatoes were cooked in a separate small pot for twenty minutes in salted water. After thirteen minutes the diced mange tout was added to the pot, and simmered under glass for another seven minutes. Drain, and serve with the beef chilli.

Cream of Chicken Soup

A delicious and easy to prepare cream of chicken soup.

The chicken came from roasted chicken thighs, deskinned. I removed the meat from the bones with my fingers.

I stir-fried some white onion and chopped mange tout in a little butter. Once soft, the onions were removed from the heat.

I mixed cornmeal (a dessert spoonful), water and milk in a bowl (250 mls), and added the mixture to the pan with the onions and mange tout. Bring to the boil, stirring thoroughly.

Add the chicken meat. Cook for half an hour at a medium heat, stirring every few minutes.

Add the Herbes de Provence and the chicken stock ten minutes before serving. 

Casseroled Chicken with Red and Green Peppers

Two chicken thighs, casseroled on a drizzle of sunflower oil, a bed of thinly sliced potato, a layer of mange tout, and another of sliced red and green peppers. Plus one finely diced garlic clove, and a de-seeded and diced red chilli.

Add 100mls of cold chicken stock and a light dressing of sweet red chilli sauce. Shake some sea salt onto the skin of the the chicken thighs.

Place the casserole dish on the middle shelf of an oven preheated to 190 deg C, and cook for 55 minutes (check progress halfway). 45 minutes under glass, and without the lid for the final ten minutes. This allows the skin to brown and become deliciously crispy.