nacho's

It was cheap dinner night last night, so out came the mince.  It was on special some where.  Nacho's are a good meal in our house, as it is gluten free.  Funny Finn didn't turn up for dinner anyway.

For this recipe you will need

• 1 kilo beef mince
• 2 cans of tinned tomatoes
• 1 can kidney beans
• 3 chipotle chilies in adobe sauce finely chopped ( I use morena brand)
• 2 carrots finely diced
• 2 medium onions finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• lots of salt and pepper (use maldon salt where ever possible)
• chopped fresh tomatoes
• sour cream
• coriander ( only if you want, it was in the garden)
• Plain corn chips ( I like 'homebrand' from 'countdown' salted, as they have no crappy fake flavourings and they are really big and crisp)

Start off by gently frying the onions and carrots with some olive oil in a large fry pan, then add the garlic.  Saute for at least 10 mins so the veges get soft and cooked down.  Add some water if they start to stick.  Next,  add the mince and cook until all the pinkness is gone and now starts to fry in its own fat.  You can hear it sizzling.  Add salt and taste it to see that it is seasoned properly.  This is crucial, minced beef is blah if not seasoned correctly.  Also add the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika and chipotle chilies mix well into the beef and keep frying.

Next add the 2 tins of tomatoes and 2 tin equivalents of water and the sugar and bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stir and watch occasionally so it doesn't catch.  Then add the can of beans, make sure you drain the liquid and give them a quick rinse. 

Add some more water and let it simmer away for another 30 minutes at least until it gets down to the sauce consistency you like,  there needs to be some movement.  Check again for salt and sweetness and add accordingly.  This is a spicy hot mixture. (use less chipotle chilies if you don't want it hot.)

Finally add the black ground pepper and serve on top of your chips.  Along with sour cream and tomatoes.  Jacob needed grated cheese and avocado on his.  I think sour cream is plenty.

This is a good make ahead dinner as you can prepare the mince mixture in advance and heat up later, just add a little water to loosen it up.