My chilli stalwart

When it's going to be a hard week (i.e. more than 50 hours of labour, no breaks, a little webbing, but otherwise constant work) I make this comfort food. We all have 'standby' meals that we cook because they're easy, cheap and tasty. The advantage of this recipe is that it is cheap (saves money for other meals and ingredients) and freezes well. This is tasty, and reasonably nutritious (with veg) costing abut £1.75 per portion with all in.

The following is plenty for 4-5 people. I tend to eat, reheat and eat again and re-freeze the remaining portions.

Ingredients

• 800 grammes minced meat (quality not crucial)
• 1 small tin of tomato puree
• 1 large tin of kidney beans
• 1 large tin of baked beans
• Garlic puree or 4 cloves fresh finely chopped garlic (optional, but recommended)
• Mixed herbs (I tend to use Herbes de Provence)
• Half a bunch (15g) of chopped coriander
  
• 2 or 3 large (2-3" long) green chillis
  
• 18 narrow chillis (these are the thin ones, short stubby ones)
  
• 3 small or 2 medium Onions
• 1 Pepper (entirely optional - nowadays I don't bother)
  
• About 4-6 medium size quartered mushrooms
• Black ground pepper
• You do not use salt in this recipe!
• A large casserole which you can use on the hob

Preparation (if you're working on your own, it's best to
do all of the prep first:)

• Chop the onions fairly roughly
  
• De-seed the green chillis, cut in half lengthways and finely slice
  (approx 1/8")
• Finely slice the small chillis, until you get to the bulk of the seedcase, discarding the heads, but keeping the seeds
• De-seed and chop up the pepper into chunks
  
• Open the tins, drain the kidney beans
• Thoroughly wash your hands! (Don't blame me if you don't!)
  

Method:

• Fry the mince meat, and then drain off any fat after the mince has browned.
• Add the chopped vegetables, garlic, chillies and keep turning the mixture
• Add about 1 tbsp or slightly more of either herbes, about 1 tsp of black pepper, add the fluid and contents of the tins and about four squirts of garlic puree.
• Keep mushing until thoroughly mixed in.
• Transfer to the oven on gas mark 4 (180 degrees cent.) for about 1 hour.
• ...Tomorrow
• Chop up mushrooms add to the chilli and then heat at gas mark 3
  (150 degrees cent.) for about 1 hour. Serve with Basmati rice and veg.

In the photo above (taken 23rd September evening) there's a leek in the rice and a couple of carrots