This chilli is adapted from a beef chilli recipe by Gordon Ramsay. I simply left out the beef and halved the wine to make it cheaper - plus, of course, Mr Ramsay doesn't use a tin of cheap baked beans in his version! I've tweaked and fiddled with it so much over the years that now it's not Gordon's chilli, it's Mumma Jack's.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 x 400g tin of red kidney beans
1 x 400g tin of baked beans in tomato sauce or plain haricot beans
1 onion
1 small chilli, chopped
a shake of paprika
a shake of ground cumin
a splash of oil
1 x 400g carton or tin of chopped tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
3 squares dark chocolate
Instructions:
1. Tip both tins of beans into a colander and rinse thoroughly. If you are using baked beans in tomato sauce, make sure to rinse it all off. Pop the beans into a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
2. Peel and dice the onion and put into a large sauté pan along with the chopped chilli, paprika and cumin. Add the oil and cook on a low heat until the onion softens into a spicy sweetness. Pour in the wine, add the chopped tomatoes and crumble in the stock cube, then simmer all together on a low heat.
3. When the beans have softened, drain and tip into the sauce. Add the chocolate and stir until the beans are mixed through and the chocolate is melted.
Tips: This chilli will keep in the fridge for up to three days if allowed to cool and stored in an airtight container. Delicious eaten cold stuffed in pitta breads or wraps for next day's lunch.
You can check out our interview with Jack here, where she talks frankly about life on benefits, fussy eaters and why politicians just don't get the struggle to put food on the table
Recipes extracted from 'A Girl Called Jack' by Jack Monroe (Michael Joseph, £12.99)
