This chilli is a little different to the traditional one you may cook: it uses pork instead of beef, black beans instead of kidney beans and has an interesting mix of flavours with the barbecue and chipotle sauces included. Reduce the amount of chipotle paste for a less-spicy finish. This recipe can easily be doubled to allow for some to be frozen for another time. I like to freeze this recipe in smaller portions to allow me to take it out as needed. The chilli mixture also works really well with nachos!
Smoky pork and black bean chilli
Smoky pork and black bean chilli. \ Philip Doyle
Serves four
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
500g lean pork mince
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 red onion
1 garlic clove
5 tbsp barbeque sauce
2 tsp chipotle paste
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin black beans
Salt and pepper, to taste
large handful fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
To serve:
300g long grain rice
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
50g grated cheddar cheese
sour cream
juice from one lime
1 Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and then the mince, frying for 4-5 minutes until browned; stirring regularly. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
- 2 Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion. Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and fry the vegetables for 4-5 minutes, until tender but not browned. Crush the garlic in and fry for a further minute.
- 3 Return the cooked pork mince to the pan and add the barbeque sauce, chipotle paste and tomatoes. Mix well and bring to a gentle simmer.
- 4 Cover and cook for about 20 minutes; until the meat is tender.
- 5 Meanwhile, cook the rice according to pack instructions.
- 6 Drain and rinse the beans, stir through the chilli mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in half the chopped coriander and remove the chilli from the heat.
- 7 Serve the chilli and rice in warmed bowls or plates with the remaining coriander sprinkled on top. Serve with avocado slices, grated cheese, dollops of sour cream and lime juice for people to help themselves.
Top tip
If you prefer, use beef and kidney beans instead of pork mince and black beans.
Burren Free Range Pork
Situated in the Burren, a unique part of
Co Clare, you’ll find Burren Free Range Pork. This
small farm rears free range, rare breed pigs and beef
cattle as well as growing vegetables. When it comes
to pork, they mainly rear Saddleback pigs due to
their temperament and the quality of their meat.
Their ethos is to keep everything as natural as
possible; aiming for their animals to get the majority of
their necessary minerals and nutrients directly
from the soil, foraged herbs and grasses. In
essence, they believe what’s good for the
animals and the land will also be good for us.
burrenfreerangepork.com
Sweet potato-topped cottage pie
Sweet potato-topped cottage pie. \ Philip Doyle
This traditional cottage pie is given an interesting twist with a cheesy, sweet potato topping. Make a double batch and freeze half. Depending on freezer space, either make the spare one up directly in the baking dish, or freeze the filling and topping separately to assemble when required.
Serves four to six
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
500g lean minced beef
4 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
300ml beef or chicken stock
2 tbsp Worcestershite sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g frozen peas, defrosted
1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
For the sweet potato mash:
650g sweet potatoes
75ml milk
25g butter
50g mature cheddar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and then the mince, frying for 4-5 minutes until browned, stirring regularly. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
- 2 Meanwhile, finely chop the carrots, celery and onion. Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and fry the vegetables for 4-5 minutes, until tender but not browned. Crush the garlic in and fry for a further minute.
- 3 Return the meat to the pan and add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and thyme. Mix well, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the mince is tender and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- 4 While the mixture is simmering, preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, 350°F, gas mark 4).
- 5 Prepare the mash: bring a large pot of water to the boil. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small chunks. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and mash with the milk and butter until smooth. Grate the cheese and stir through. Season to taste and set aside.
- 6 Stir the peas and parsley through the mince mixture and transfer to a baking dish. Spread the sweet potato mash evenly on top.
- 7 Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the mince is bubbling and the top begins to catch colour. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Top
tip:
Assemble and cook as
individual cottage pies. Besides this being a great way to serve the pies, freezing them in individual portions would be very handy for anyone who cooks
for just one or
two people.
Derg Farmhouse Cheese
This special Irish farmhouse cheddar is
produced on the Cooney farm in Co Tipperary; located on the shores of Lough Derg. The Cooneys exclusively use milk from when their cows are out on grass and age their cheese for approximately one year; resulting in a cheddar both sharp (from the ageing) and creamy (from the milk). While excellent on it’s
own; Derg Farmhouse is also a good melting
cheese – making it an ideal option for Sharon’s
cheesy sweet potato mash.
You can find this cheese in selected Tesco’s,
online or at speciality shops (like Sheridan’s
Cheesemongers).
dergfarmhousecheese.ie
This chilli is a little different to the traditional one you may cook: it uses pork instead of beef, black beans instead of kidney beans and has an interesting mix of flavours with the barbecue and chipotle sauces included. Reduce the amount of chipotle paste for a less-spicy finish. This recipe can easily be doubled to allow for some to be frozen for another time. I like to freeze this recipe in smaller portions to allow me to take it out as needed. The chilli mixture also works really well with nachos!
Smoky pork and black bean chilli
Smoky pork and black bean chilli. \ Philip Doyle
Serves four
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
500g lean pork mince
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 red onion
1 garlic clove
5 tbsp barbeque sauce
2 tsp chipotle paste
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin black beans
Salt and pepper, to taste
large handful fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
To serve:
300g long grain rice
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
50g grated cheddar cheese
sour cream
juice from one lime
1 Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and then the mince, frying for 4-5 minutes until browned; stirring regularly. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
- 2 Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion. Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and fry the vegetables for 4-5 minutes, until tender but not browned. Crush the garlic in and fry for a further minute.
- 3 Return the cooked pork mince to the pan and add the barbeque sauce, chipotle paste and tomatoes. Mix well and bring to a gentle simmer.
- 4 Cover and cook for about 20 minutes; until the meat is tender.
- 5 Meanwhile, cook the rice according to pack instructions.
- 6 Drain and rinse the beans, stir through the chilli mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in half the chopped coriander and remove the chilli from the heat.
- 7 Serve the chilli and rice in warmed bowls or plates with the remaining coriander sprinkled on top. Serve with avocado slices, grated cheese, dollops of sour cream and lime juice for people to help themselves.
Top tip
If you prefer, use beef and kidney beans instead of pork mince and black beans.
Burren Free Range Pork
Situated in the Burren, a unique part of
Co Clare, you’ll find Burren Free Range Pork. This
small farm rears free range, rare breed pigs and beef
cattle as well as growing vegetables. When it comes
to pork, they mainly rear Saddleback pigs due to
their temperament and the quality of their meat.
Their ethos is to keep everything as natural as
possible; aiming for their animals to get the majority of
their necessary minerals and nutrients directly
from the soil, foraged herbs and grasses. In
essence, they believe what’s good for the
animals and the land will also be good for us.
burrenfreerangepork.com
Sweet potato-topped cottage pie
Sweet potato-topped cottage pie. \ Philip Doyle
This traditional cottage pie is given an interesting twist with a cheesy, sweet potato topping. Make a double batch and freeze half. Depending on freezer space, either make the spare one up directly in the baking dish, or freeze the filling and topping separately to assemble when required.
Serves four to six
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
500g lean minced beef
4 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
300ml beef or chicken stock
2 tbsp Worcestershite sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g frozen peas, defrosted
1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
For the sweet potato mash:
650g sweet potatoes
75ml milk
25g butter
50g mature cheddar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and then the mince, frying for 4-5 minutes until browned, stirring regularly. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
- 2 Meanwhile, finely chop the carrots, celery and onion. Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and fry the vegetables for 4-5 minutes, until tender but not browned. Crush the garlic in and fry for a further minute.
- 3 Return the meat to the pan and add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and thyme. Mix well, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the mince is tender and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- 4 While the mixture is simmering, preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, 350°F, gas mark 4).
- 5 Prepare the mash: bring a large pot of water to the boil. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small chunks. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and mash with the milk and butter until smooth. Grate the cheese and stir through. Season to taste and set aside.
- 6 Stir the peas and parsley through the mince mixture and transfer to a baking dish. Spread the sweet potato mash evenly on top.
- 7 Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the mince is bubbling and the top begins to catch colour. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Top
tip:
Assemble and cook as
individual cottage pies. Besides this being a great way to serve the pies, freezing them in individual portions would be very handy for anyone who cooks
for just one or
two people.
Derg Farmhouse Cheese
This special Irish farmhouse cheddar is
produced on the Cooney farm in Co Tipperary; located on the shores of Lough Derg. The Cooneys exclusively use milk from when their cows are out on grass and age their cheese for approximately one year; resulting in a cheddar both sharp (from the ageing) and creamy (from the milk). While excellent on it’s
own; Derg Farmhouse is also a good melting
cheese – making it an ideal option for Sharon’s
cheesy sweet potato mash.
You can find this cheese in selected Tesco’s,
online or at speciality shops (like Sheridan’s
Cheesemongers).
dergfarmhousecheese.ie
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