Chili Stew

From the kitchen of Martin James – Copenhagen, Denmark

Serve Chili Stew with mashed potatoes or rice, bean salad and chilled lager!

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 green pepper, white pith removed, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 pounds (1kg) minced ground beef
14 ounces (440g) canned peeled tomatoes, with the can juice reserved
5 ounces (155g) tomato puree
1 teaspoon hot chili powder
14 ounces (440g) canned kidney beans, drained
2 medium-size cooking apples, cored and chopped
2 ounces (50g) prunes, stoned and chopped
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
4 ounces (100g) frozen French beans, thawed and chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

In a large deep frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, celery, green pepper and garlic and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent but not brown. Stir in the minced (ground) beef and continue to fry, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir well to mix. Bring the liquid to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and serve at once.

Serves 4.