Don't be chilly - warm up with a chili

Gringo chili with Quesadillas

The term gringo applies to anyone who is not Mexican. In this case it simply means 'unauthentic Texan'. Still it's a good, all-round chili recipe with 101 uses. Well, almost.

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus overnight soaking for the beans if using dried)
Cooking Time: 1 hour (plus 1 hour for cooking the beans if using dried)

500g minced beef
2 tbsp corn or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 400g tins chopped tomatoes
400ml beef stock (you can use a good quality cube or 1 can of Campbell's beef consommé topped up to 400ml with water)
1-2 tbsp sliced pickled jalepeno chillies (optional), available in jars in the Mexican section of supermarkets
200g dried weight pinto or black beans, soaked overnight and cooked for one hour till soft (see explanation regarding beans above) or you can use a 400g can of borlotti or kidney beans

for the quesadillas:
6 x large tortilla wraps
200g mature Cheddar cheese
pickled sliced jalepeno chillies, optional

If using dried beans, begin the day before by soaking them overnight and boiling for an hour to soften.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole and fry the onion till soft and beginning to colour, about 10 minutes. Add the beef mince and fry till the meat is well cooked and past the grey tage and any moisture has cooked off. Add the garlic, cumin and chilli powder and fry for about two minutes to cook out the spices, then add the oregano, tomatoes and beef stock or consomme. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered for 45 minutes until it has reduced slightly and the flavours blended. Add the beans and jalepenos, if using and cook another 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary (remembering stock cubes can be salty.)

Make the quesadillas, heat a large frying pan and dry fry the tortillas on one side till beginning to colour and warm. Sprinkle half of the tortilla with a little cheese and a few sliced jalepenos, if using and fold over the other half, making a half-moon shape. Fry on both sides till the cheese is melted. Keep warm and repeat with the other tortilla wraps. Cut each quesadilla in half making 12 rounded triangle shapes and serve with the chili.