Chilli Con Carne with Guacamole and Cheesy Tortillas

A family fave and crowd pleaser, perfect for a lot of people.  Get a big pot of this on and invite a heap of people over, they might never leave!  If you are not a fan of Guacamole, sour cream would do the trick and the cheesy tortillas are the perfect scoop for this fiery mix of meat n beans.  A crisp green salad with ranch dressing completes this Mexican Fiesta!!

You will need:

Serves 8

For the Chilli:

1kg beef mince
2 medium brown onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs ground coriander
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dried chilli flakes (2 if you like it fiery)
1 cup of sundried tomatoes, cut into strips
2 x 400gm tins of chopped tomatoes
2 x 400gm tins of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 of a cup of tomato paste
1 tbs sugar
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 bunch coriander, leaves roughly chopped (save some of the stems for the Guacamole and a few leaves for garnish)
Sea salt and Cracked pepper

For the Guacamole:

2 x ripe avocados, mashed
1/2 a cup of sour cream (low fat is fine)
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tsp of tabasco sauce
1 tbs finely chopped coriander stems
Sea salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (just a drizzle)
Paprika to dust

For the Tortillas:

16 tortillas
2 cups of grated tasty cheese

For the Salad:

Mixed salad leaves
1 small red oinion, sliced in rings
1/2 a cup of Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 a cup of buttermilk
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 tbs finely chopped dill
1 tbs chopped parsley
Sea salt and pepper

To make the chilli, heat a little oil in a heavy based, large saucepan and fry the onions until soft.  Add the garlic and fry until fragrant.  Add the mince and brown all over and break it up while it is browning.  When the mince is brown all over,  allow any liquid to evaporate before adding the spices and continue to fry until fragrant and you start coughing from the chilli!  Throw in the sun dried tomatoes, tin tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and lime juice and allow the mixture to come to the boil.  Add the kidney beans and give it all a really good stir to combine, reduce the heat to low and let it bubble away nicely for a good 1/2 hour.  Season with salt and pepper and have a taste, now is the time to make any adjustments.  If you like it hot chuck in some more chilli, a little at a time of course.  If you think it needs more salt or sugar just add some, don't be scared!  Add the coriander leaves just before serving as they add a nice punchy flavour.

The guacamole is super easy!  Throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Have a taste and season with salt and pepper.  It is nice to put it in a clean bowl and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top and sprinkle with a little paprika and fresh coriander leaves.

Heat a griddle or fry pan to nice and hot.  Sprinkle a tortilla with tasty cheese and top with another tortilla to make a sandwich.  Place the tortilla sandwich in the pan and press it down with a saucepan lid.  Dry fry it until golden and flip it and do the same on the other side.  Keep them warm in the oven on low while you repeat the process with the rest of the tortillas. When you are ready to serve the feast, cut the tortillas into quarters.

Combine all the ranch dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.  Arrange the salad leaves in a nice salad bowl with the onion rings and drizzle with the dressing.

I like to serve this like a banquet and everyone can help themselves.  If you have plenty of the chilli left over, it is great to freeze.