Chilli Con Carne

Ingredients

400g dry black or kidney beans, soaked over night, or 2 cans of beans

1 tbs olive oil

1 large brown onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 large chilli chopped, or 1 tsp of chilli flakes, or to taste

2 tsp each ground cumin and coriander

1kg of mince, preferably kangaroo

2 cinnamon sticks

1/4 cup of tomato paste

1 can of crushed tomatoes

1 bottle of tomato passata

1 fresh cob of corn

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Rinse beans thoroughly, cover generously with water, and bring to the boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes.

In the meantime, heat olive oil over moderate heat in a large frypan or pot. Cook for 5 minutes, being careful not to let it burn. Add garlic and chilli, and cook for a further minute. Add ground spices and fry until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Add mince and fry until browned and broken up. Add to the slow cooker with cinnamon, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, passata, 1 cup of water and beans (if using canned, don’t add these now), and stir to combine.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5, until beans are cooked through (if using canned beans, add about an hour before serving). Add the corn kernels in the last 10 mins of cooking so they just cook through but remain sweet and juicy. Season to taste.

Serve to share accompanied with fresh coriander, natural yoghurt, fresh salsa, fresh lime, avocado and brown rice, quinoa or corn tortillas (the best tortillas in Melbourne are made in Kensington