Much maligned as student’s staple diet, chilli is a fantastic winter warmer, and is generally well received by the whole family - just have a care with the quantity of chilli you’re using if your children are small. I guess it reached its culinary height in the early 70s, featuring in the Pauper’s Cook Book, and many of us have given up on it out of petty snobbery. I can hear Ben confirming that the snob is I.

Ingredients - serves 6

1kg best minced beef
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped
2 red chillis, thinly sliced, seeds removed - (or use
1-2 tsp of dried chilli flakes)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 bottle red wine
3 tbsp tomato purée
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g cans mixed beans, drained
salt, pepper, dash of Worcestershire sauce

to serve:
fresh coriander leaves
wedges of fresh lime

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion and garlic over a low heat to soften. Now add the minced beef and increase the heat to brown it - break up the meat with a wooden spoon as it does so. Pour over the red wine, bring to the boil for a couple of minutes, then stir in the chopped tomatoes, chilli, ground coriander and cumin, Worcestershire sauce and salt & pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 50 minutes - 1 hour, stirring occasionally. It should be rich, red, and thickened.

Finally, add the mixed beans, stir in gently and cook for a further 10 minutes with the lid off. Adjust seasoning if necessary.