Chunky veg chilli

This hearty vegetarian option will not disappoint those who normally have meat in their chilli. Perfect for a winter’s day, or at any time, you can certainly snuggle up in front of the television for a comfy night in or serve it up to your dinner guests when you need an easy, meatless option. The secret ingredient is cocoa. Make the day before, if you want, and it also freezes well.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 3 large carrots, sliced into thick coins
• 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 3 mixed bell peppers, deseeded and chopped into large chunks
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• bunch of coriander
• 2 tins of red kidney beans
• 3 tins chopped tomatoes

Method

Put a large casserole dish on a low heat with your oil until hot and add your onions.  Saute for 5 minutes before adding your carrots, paprika, cumin seeds, cocoa and give a good stir.

Add your peppers and chilli and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Meanwhile, remove the leaves from the coriander and set aside while you finely chop the stalks. Add these to the casserole dish.

Drain the red kidney beans and add to the dish with the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 60 minutes, stirring regularly.

Finally, roughly chop the coriander leaves and add to the dish with a good amount of seasoning.

Tips

Serve with rice, jacket potatoes, or my own personal favourite, on a bed of Doritos!

Trivia

The Dorito as we know it now started life in the kitchens of Casa de Fritos, a restaurant at Disneyland, Anaheim, California, in the early 1960s. Using surplus tortillas, they cut them up and fried them in the same way as Mexican totopos (flat, round corn bread) are made. They proved so popular that a deal was struck with Alex Foods to make them, until they became overwhelmed by demand and production was taken over by Frito-Lay who launched them commercially under the brand name Doritos® in 1966. The name derives from the Mexican-Spanish word doradito, meaning “golden-brown”.