Slow and low rich beef chilli with jalapeño cheddar scones

5 HOURS + OVERNIGHT SOAKING | SERVES 10 | EASY

It really is worth using dried beans as they give a much better texture, but if you want to skip that step just add two tins of rinsed black beans for the final hour of cooking.

dried black beans 400g beef shin 2kg olive oil 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 3 tbsp onions 2 large, chopped garlic 4 cloves, crushed ground cumin 11/ tbsp

2 ground coriander 11/ tbsp

2 dried oregano 2 tsp chilli powder 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp, plus some for the scones star anise 1 cinnamon sticks 2 tomato purée 4 tbsp chipotle chilli in adobo sauce 3 tbsp or use 3 tbsp of chipotle paste chicken stock 1.75 litres dark brown soft sugar 2 tbsp instant espresso powder 1 tsp red onion 1, thinly sliced to serve radishes a handful, thinly sliced to serve picked coriander leaves from a small bunch, to serve soured cream to serve SCONES self-raising flour 400g, plus extra for dusting salted butter 80g, chilled and diced sea salt 1/ tsp

2 mature cheddar 150g, coarsely grated pickled jalepeños 2 tbsp, drained, dried and chopped milk 175ml, plus extra for brushing the pastry

• Start a day ahead by soaking the beans in a large bowl of water with 1 tbsp of salt.

• 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.

• 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.

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in the pan, add the onions and cook until golden and soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

• 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.

• 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.

• Put in the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is really tender. Cool and freeze in portions.

• 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/ of the cheese and the

3 jalapeños. Gradually stir in the milk until you have a soft dough.

• 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.

• 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.

PER SERVING 689 KCALS | FAT 29G SATURATES 13.7G | CARBS 42.9G | SUGARS 9.3G FIBRE 6.7G | PROTEIN 60.7G | SALT 1.9G