Slow-cooker chilli with jalapeño cheddar cornbread

4 HOURS 30 MINUTES | SERVES 8 EASY

Browning the mince first will give you a really deep, rich sauce. You can make the cornbread and chilli a couple of days ahead, and just reheat to serve, if you like. The chilli also freezes really well.

beef mince 750g onions 2 large, finely chopped green chillies 2, finely chopped garlic salt 1 tbsp celery salt 1 tbsp hot smoked paprika 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp mild chilli powder 1 tbsp ground allspice Ω tsp dried oregano 2 tsp bay leaves 2 (optional) chopped tomatoes 3 x 400g tins tomato purée 2 tbsp soft dark brown sugar 2 tbsp cider vinegar 3 tbsp beef stock 100ml lager 330ml bottle worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp dark chocolate 25g kidney beans 400g tin, drained and rinsed black beans 400g tin, drained and rinsed CHEDDAR CORNBREAD strong white bread flour 70g instant polenta 150g baking powder 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tbsp eggs 3 whole milk 375ml unsalted butter 75g, melted, plus extra for the tin mature cheddar 100g, grated pickled jalapeños slices from a jar

6, chopped

• Heat a large frying pan then fry the mince in batches making sure each batch is well browned with some crispy bits. Tip each batch into a slow cooker when finished.

• Add all the other ingredients except the beans and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 8 hours). Add the beans and cook for another 30 minutes.

• Meanwhile, to make the cornbread, heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Butter and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl with 11/2 tsp of salt. Whisk the eggs, milk and melted butter together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix. Stir in the cheddar and jalapeños. It will be quite thin but don’t worry, the polenta soaks it all up in the oven.

• Pour into the loaf tin and cook for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and cook for another 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (cover with foil if it goes dark too quickly). Cool completely in the tin then turn out. Serve slices with the chilli – if you want to serve it warm, slice, then heat through in a hot oven, covered with foil, for 10 minutes.

PER SERVING 689 KCALS | FAT 34.3G SATURATES 16.7G | CARBS 50.3G | SUGARS 21.1G FIBRE 9.9G | PROTEIN 37G | SALT 5.3G