Shroom Chilli

This here is hands down my favourite chilli recipe, Mushroom chilli. The mushrooms and flavours give this dish such depth, deep, dark and smoky tastes. Perfect for cooking slowly in a slow cooker and feeding a table full of hungry faces.

Serves: 6 / Ready in: 1 hour 15 mins / Difficulty: 2/5 / Storing: Store in a sealed container, in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to a month.

Ingredients

• 900g chestnut or white mushrooms

• 3 pepper (green & red)

• 3 stalks of celery

• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 3 red onions

• 3 bay leaves

• 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 400g tin kidney beans, drained

• 400g tin black beans, drained

• 1 large red chilli or 2 small

• 2 tbsp Tabasco sauce

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp Worchester sauce

• 50g dark chocolate 75%+

• 1 tbsp cumin

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• beef stock cube

• 100ml red wine

• coconut oil

To serve: Rice, fresh coriander & greek yoghurt

Method

Prepare the veggies: Shred the mushrooms in a food blender or grate them and place them to the side. Slice the onions and peppers thinly. Finely slice the celery and chillis. Place a large pan on medium heat with some coconut oil then add the onions, cook for a few minutes before adding the peppers, celery, bay leaves and chilli.

Mushrooms: Meanwhile in another large pan cook the mushrooms on medium heat. If it’s not possible to cook the mushrooms at the same time, once the veggies are soft you can set them to the side while the mushrooms cook. You won’t need to add oil as the juices will keep them from sticking. Cook the mushroom until the water is evaporated and they are dark. Once cooked take them off the heat and leave to the side.

Keeping an eye on the veggies until they get soft and a little golden before adding the crushed garlic. Now add the spices, cumin and smoked paprika to the pan for a few moments, the garlic and spices aroma will fill the air. Add the tomato paste and mix it in.

Pour in red wine and crumble the beef stock cube into the veggies, waiting for the liquid to cook down until nearly gone. Now it’s time to add the mushrooms followed by the chopped tomatoes, giving them a good mix together. Then soy, Tabasco and Worchester sauce. Break the dark chocolate on top, wait until the chocolate starts to melt and then mix it all through. Leave the chilli to cook for 20 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring from time to time. You can add a lid if you notice the liquid is cooking down, however, the chilli should be slightly thick. Finally add the kidney beans for 5 minutes, during this time taste the chilli and season with salt to your liking. Fish out the bay leaves.

Serve with rice and coriander, and yoghurt on the side to keep things cool.

Nutritional information, per serving (not including side dish)
kcal: 286
Fat: 9g
Saturates: 2.2g
Carbs: 40.5g
Sugars: 6.4g
Fibre: 11.6g
Protein: 16.1g