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Chilli Pies

Category
Beef

Chilli Pies

 

 

Ingredients
• For the filling
• About 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 500g shin of beef, trimmed and cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 200ml rich beef stock
• 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 large roasted red peppers from a jar, deseeded and roughly chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• For the cornbread topping
• 125g plain flour
• 125g cornmeal
• ½ tsp salt
• 115g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 250ml buttermilk
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 120g strong Cheddar cheese, grated

Method

  1. Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a flameproof casserole over a high heat. Add half the beef and brown it well.
  2. Remove and set aside in a dish. Add the remaining meat, and a little more oil if necessary, brown it and remove from the pan.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add a little more oil to the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5–8 minutes, until softened.
  4. Add the chilli, oregano, cocoa powder and tomato purée to the onions and stir in. Return the meat to the pan, along with any juices that have seeped from it, and cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add the tomatoes and beef stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Add the kidney beans and peppers and return to the oven for a further hour or until the meat is tender.
  6. Check the seasoning (if it’s not hot enough for you, you can spice it up with a little chilli powder) then spoon the mixture into 4–6 deep, individual pie dishes, leaving about 2cm below the rim.
  7. Turn the oven up to 180°C/gas 4.
  8. To make the cornbread batter, mix the flour, cornmeal and salt in a large bowl. Combine the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, green chilli and baking powder in a jug. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Don’t overmix.
  9. Top the chilli beef with the cornbread batter, then sprinkle cheese over each dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden. If you like, you can finish the pies under the grill for a few minutes to get a really nice golden brown top.
  10. Serve straight away.