Geraldine and Bas Braks' favourite family chilli

Tamara West

Inspired in part by Homer Simpson visiting a chilli cook- off, Helen Dorresteyn, owner of Clevedon Valley Buffalo Company and Chris Cullen, owner of Culley’s hot sauces, had been plotting the Clevedon Valley Famer’s Market’s own inaugural chili cook-off for some time.

“We aimed to showcase fresh seasonal market ingredients for everyday family meals, and to prove you can take a relatively cheap and lean ingredient like buffalo mince and make a masterpiece with it!” says Helen.

Ingredients

10	Pitted prunes
6	Red chillies, or green chillies, use more or less to suit tastes
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1	Onion, large, diced
1	Carrot, large, diced
2	Celery stalks, diced
1	Red capsicum, small
1 tsp	Salt
500 g	Mince, we used Clevedon Valley Buffalo mince (Main)
1 tsp	Cayenne pepper
1 tsp	Ground cinnamon
1 tsp	Ground cumin
½ tsp	Chilli powder
1 tsp	Freshly ground black pepper
4	Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Ltr	Tomato passata (Main)
1 can	Kidney beans, washed and drained
1 Tbsp	Honey
2 Tbsp	Chipotle sauce, we used Culley's
1	Lime, to serve
1 bunch	Fresh coriander, chopped
4 servings	Feta, we used Clevedon Valley buffalo
4 servings	Corn chips, we used Culley's

Directions

1. Finely chop prunes and chillies, cover with boiling water, stir well and leave to stand for 1 hour.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the vegetables until they're soft and lightly coloured. Add salt and remove from pan.
3. Add the other tablespoon olive oil to the pan and brown the mince over a medium high heat, breaking it down as it colours. Add the cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cumin, chilli powder and black pepper. Cook, stirring for a couple of minutes then add the garlic.
4. Add back the vegetables, the chilli and prune mixture and the kidney beans and slowly add the passata, reducing it into the chilli as you cook it over a medium/ low heat for about 1 hour. As it thickens, taste for salt, spice and heat and adjust accordingly.
5. To finish, add honey and a 1-3 Tbsp of Culley's Chipotle sauce, (adding a subtle smoky flavour). Stir well, remove from heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Serve topped with lime zest, a good squeeze of lime juice, crumbled Clevedon Valley buffalo feta, lots of fresh chopped coriander and corn chips to eat it with.

Pantry notes

• Passata is an uncooked tomato sauce available from supermarkets and speciality food stores. Or you could use 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, blitzed, plus tomato juice or stock to equal measure.
• All Culley's and Clevedon Valley Buffalo products are available at Clevedon Farmer's Market (8.30am-12pm Sundays) or ask for them at speciality food stores.