My first recipe that I’m going to post is the one I have made since I was 12. A very tasty dish that is simple to make and demands 20 minutes of chopping and more or less banging it into one pot at the end. No messing about.
Chilli Mince Bake – serves 4-6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking: 40-50 minutes
Ingredients:
2 large onions – medium cut
Bunch of spring onions – coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
2 courgettes – sliced
Tub of chestnut mushrooms
500g Lean Mince (Lamb or Beef)
Long grain rice (1 cup/mug measure per 2 servings)
500g parmesan cheese (can use cheddar)
Glug of Worcester Sauce to taste
2 tsps of Salt
2 tbsp of Freshly ground pepper
1 -2 tsps of hot chilli powder
2 tsps of Thyme (+1 tsps of Rosemary if lamb)
1-2½ Tbsp of crème fraiche
You will need two pans and a large ovenproof dish.
Firstly, using a medium sized pan, start to boil some water for your rice. Whilst the water is heating, heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions until translucent, add the majority of the garlic and all meat and brown making sure to separate all chunks. Add a pinch of salt and pepper here. (To make it extra lean, you can cook your meat first and drain the fat and then add the onions but this fat helps cook and flavour the dish). The meat should have a nice flavour now.
Add the rice to the boiling water and leave to simmer for 10-15 mins.
Add the rest of the garlic along with the courgettes and mushrooms – cook for 5 minutes and then add your spring onions, Worcester Sauce, chilli powder and spices adding the rest of the salt and pepper – cook this for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
By this time, your rice should be nearly ready. Keep an eye on it as you need it to be al dente, not fluffy.
Add half the cheese to the large pan stirring it in. Then drain your rice, and add to the large pan. Stir in the rice. Add your crème fraiche. The mixture should now be a light brown colour, slightly creamy.
Add the mixture to the oven proof dish, sprinkling the rest of the cheese on top. Put in the oven and bake until the cheese is browning.
Serve with garlic bread, extra parmesan and a glass of red.
