SWEET POTATO CHILLI (Serves 12)
Ingredients:
6 sweet potatoes (250g each); olive oil; 1tsp cumin seeds;
1 x 95g jar of chipotle chilli paste; 500g fresh or frozen chopped mixed onion, carrot & celery; ½ a bunch of coriander (15g); 3 x 400g tins of black beans; 3 x 400g tins of quality plum; tomatoes; 60g feta cheese
method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put a large deep casserole pan on a medium-high heat.
Peel the sweet potatoes, and place in pan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and fry for five minutes, turning occasionally, until golden. Push to one side, add the cumin, let it sizzle, then spoon in the jar of chipotle chilli paste and add two jars’ worth of water. Tip in the chopped mixed veg, finely chop and add the coriander stalks, reserving the leaves, then bake for one hour.
2. Remove from the oven and add the beans, juice and all, then the tomatoes, scrunching them in, along with a new tin’s worth of water. Stir well, then roast for another hour, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Season, then – if enjoying straight away – crumble over the feta and tear over the coriander leaves, to serve.
Sweet potato chilli nachos: Reheat some chilli until piping hot, then spoon over crunchy tortilla chips and grate over a little Cheddar cheese, finishing with some jarred sliced jalapenos and a couple of fresh coriander or baby mint leaves.