Beef chilli with jalapeño cheddar scones
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- + overnight soaking
- Easy
- Serves 10
Ingredients
- 400g dried black beans
- 2kg beef shin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 ½ tbsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika, plus some for the scones
- 1 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 tbsp tomato purée
- 3 tbsp chipotle chilli in adobo sauce, or use 3 tbsp of chipotle paste
- 1.75 litres chicken stock
- 2 tbsp dark brown soft sugar
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced to serve
- a handful radishes, thinly sliced to serve
- picked coriander leaves, from a small bunch, to serve
- to serve soured cream
SCONES
- 400g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 80g salted butter, chilled and diced
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 150g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
- 2 tbsp pickled jalepeños, drained, dried and chopped
- 175ml milk, plus extra for brushing the pastry
Method
- STEP 1
Start a day ahead by soaking the beans in a large bowl of water with 1 tbsp of salt.
- STEP 2
Cut the beef into 3cm chunks and trim away any excess fat or sinew. Season well. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the beef on all sides. Do this gradually in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan. As each batch is browned, scoop out onto a plate then cook the next.
- STEP 3
When you are finished, tip the vinegar into the pan and let it bubble up. Scrape up any bits stuck to the surface and pour on top of the beef.
- STEP 4
Heat 1 tbsp oil in the pan, add the onions and cook until golden and soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- STEP 5
Add the cumin, coriander, oregano, chilli powder, paprika, star anise and cinnamon, and cook until fragrant. Stir in the tomato purée and chipotle, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add a cupful of the chicken stock to loosen everything.
- STEP 6
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Tip the onion mix into a large casserole with the beef and all the juices from the plate. Add the rest of the chicken stock, sugar and espresso powder, and bring to a simmer. Drain and rinse the soaked beans really well, then add to the pot. Season then put on a lid.
- STEP 7
Put in the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is really tender. Cool and freeze in portions.
- STEP 8
To make the scones, heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the flour, butter and salt in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs, then tip into a bowl and add 2/3 of the cheese and the jalapeños. Gradually stir in the milk until you have a soft dough.
- STEP 9
Flour the worksurface, then gently pat the dough into a 20 x 13cm rectangle. Cut into 8 squares, then cut each in half diagonally to make 16 triangles in total. Put on a baking sheet, brush with more milk and scatter over the rest of the cheese and a pinch of paprika. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until risen and golden. Cool and freeze on a tray then transfer to freezer bags.
- STEP 10
To serve the chilli, defrost in the fridge overnight then heat gently until piping hot. Defrost the scones overnight at room temperature then reheat in a 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 oven for 10 minutes until warmed through. Serve with the warmed chilli, red onion, radishes, coriander and soured cream.
