Happiness in a pot of Chilli
In January we moved from a freezing cold soulless house to a really pretty Victorian terrace which has beautiful features, including a wonderful wood burner which in winter is just perfect. Our new little house has a positive happy homely feel and we love it. The kitchen has a large enough work top for us to cook together side by side and the dining room has my bookcases full of cook books, cooking magazines and printed recipes with a table to sit at and just absorb.
There was much about the old house I didn’t like, the small garden, the dead space of the hallway, the lack of a real fire, the kitchen (which had hardly any work surfaces or cupboards as it was designed so very, very badly) and, worst of all, was the positioning of the dining room which was too far from the kitchen (we aren’t talking about a mansion here). It is just too impractical when you are entertaining to try to carry on a conversation when you need to pop back to the kitchen, so it rarely got used how it should. One pot wonders were fine but anything else just proved difficult - everybody gravitated to the kitchen and ended up standing. The new house has the kitchen and dining room adjacent to each other and so it is so much better when we have people over. I can cook and stay in the conversation and our guests don’t have to worry.
What this pretty little house doesn’t have however is a garage and I really didn't appreciate just how much we stored there until we moved. It obviously never housed the car – do any?!?!? – but was a great larder as it was always cold and it also had enough room for a spare 5ft fridge and huge 6ft chest freezer which would comfortably hide a dead body. Since moving we’ve really had to change the way we plan our meals and shop.
It is actually a good thing. Yes our shopping and cooking habits have had to drastically change but we are eating better and our meals are more balanced and healthy and we are spending less and trying at least 2 new recipes each week. I plan a weeks’ worth of meals, buy what’s needed and no more and largely find we stick to that plan.
I always did plan weekly meals but we rarely stuck to them - especially during the week. Looking back I think it’s because there were always lots of options, the chest freezer was usually full and so chopping and changing our minds was easy to do and so a fairly regular occurrence. Whatever we didn’t fancy just got thrown in the freezer and thought about at a later date - or not as we found when we moved. I mean, how did the fish find its way to the bottom and the vegetables stay on the top?
I am also now more realistic with my meal plans. Monday’s and Friday’s are never days to spend long hours in the kitchen. Monday’s we tend to be tired and so it is usually a quick meat free meal and Friday’s we are eager to down tools, have a little drink and wallow in tiredness so it needs to be something quick and easy and resembling a takeaway.
I try to make sure the week is balanced with all food groups and that we have fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables with at least one meat/fish free day. I also can’t get distracted by offers or bulk buying as we simply don’t have the room so less is wasted or stored and forgot about! When I plan the weekly meals my starting point is what do we have left over from last week and what needs using up. We have so much less wastage too which is great.
I have embraced my vast collection of cookbooks and cooking magazines and the magazines are really helping me shop more seasonally. Food in season not only tastes better but also has less food miles and less of an impact on the environment. Being here has totally reignited my love for all things food.
Our first proper home cooked meal in our new house was Chilli which I absolutely love, it is deep and rich and spicy yet soft and warming. In fact, everything you need when you are tired and in need of some TLC. It is comfort food in a bowl and you can’t help but feel better the second you start eating it.
I love how you can dress it up in so many ways. Over the years I have experimented a lot with chilli recipes and have finally produced the one I like best. My favourite chilli has chunks of beef rather than mince. It lends itself perfectly to a long slow cook where the flavours develop over several hours and so it is richer and more substantial than when you use minced meat.
I like to buy a piece of meat and cut it into chunks, you can therefore pick the meat you like the look of the most and pick how much fat you do and do not want in your chilli. I like to use some fat as it adds flavour but it is totally up to you. Also, if you want to buy meat ready cut that is also fine.
I also like to use chipotle chilli flakes as I love the smoky taste it gives it but again, you don’t have to. With all recipes, if there is something you don’t like, just substitute it for something similar that you do like or just leave it out. For instance, you won’t find fresh coriander in any of our dishes as we absolutely hate it and always substitute it out.
I love chilli and when it has a kick it makes you feel warm inside as it heats you up! The amount of spice in this is for our taste, if you don’t like your food with much kick then just reduce the amount of spices in it and, if you like your chilli with more of a kick then just increase the amounts.
Chilli is one of those dishes that improves with time. If you have self-control (I do not!) then the best way to enjoy chilli is to make it and leave it a day in the fridge to mature. Chilli is also fabulous for leftovers. You can use it as a filling for your empanadas or enchiladas, make Tacos or burritos or simply use it in as a jacket potato filling or on potato skins – I love potatoes with lots of butter and topped with chilli, strong cheese and a little sour cream.
With the weather changing and going colder it is perfect.
