Easy Beef Chilli with Mexicana Cheese and Wheat, Spelt and Rye Toast

Beef chilli is garnished with coriander and Mexicana cheese and served with buttered wheat, spelt and rye toast

Chilli is something which is perhaps more recognisably served with rice, or even tortilla chips. Serving it with toast may seem a little strange but this delicious wheat, spelt and rye bread is not only delicious toasted and served with chilli, it makes for much quicker and easier preparation of your meal. The Mexicana cheese adds a final extra little something to set the dish off perfectly.

Ingredients (Serves Two)

3/4lb minced or ground beef
1/2 medium red onion, peeled and sliced
1 green bell pepper, de-seeded and sliced to half an inch
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
8oz can red kidney beans in water, drained and rinsed
14oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
2 tbsp tomato puree/paste
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 1" thick slices of wheat, spelt and rye bread
Chopped coriander/cilantro to garnish
Butter for toast
3 small, triangular slices Mexicana cheese

Browning the beef for the chilli

Directions

Put the beef in a large, dry pot and brown over a medium heat, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. This should take two to three minutes.

Red onion is added to the browned beef

Add the onion and the garlic to the beef and stir fry for a further minute or two until the onion just starts to turn transluscent.

Green bell pepper is added to the beef and onion

Add the bell pepper to the pot, followed by the chilli flakes, cumin, salt and pepper and stir well.

Red kidney beans, spices and seasoning are added to the beef and vegetables

The red kidney beans should be added next, followed by the tomatoes and tomato puree/paste. Stir well and increase the heat to achieve a gentle simmer before reducing the heat to just maintain the simmer and no more.

Tomatoes and tomato puree are added to the chilli

Put the lid on the pot and simmer for half an hour, stirring occasionally. If by any chance the combination becomes too dry, add a very little boiling water.

Chilli is gently simmered for twenty minutes

The bread should be toasted until golden on both sides, just before the chilli is ready to be served.

Wheat, spelt and rye bread for making toast

Lay the toast on the serving plates and add a little bit of butter to the centre of each slice. It will melt as you plate the remainder of the ingredients.

Wheat, spelt and rye toast is plated

Spoon the chilli alongside the toast and garnish with the coriander/cilantro.

Butter is added to the wheat, spelt and rye toast and the chilli is plated alongside

The Mexicana cheese should be arranged on top of the chilli immediately before service.

Mexicana cheese is arranged as a final garnish on the chilli