Chilli Con Crumpet
If pressed, this might be Crumpetman’s all-time favourite.
The freshness of the salsa and peppers complements the richness of the chilli and bacon, with the toasty crumpet providing the ultimate platform.
Given the effort involved, it's worth doing a fair quantity of the chilli, if you have friends or a freezer.
| Preparation: 30 mins | Serves: 18 crumpets |
| Cooking: 3 hours | Cold-buttered crumpets |
| Ingredients | Quantity (metric) | Quantity (imperial) |
|---|---|---|
| Chilli | ||
| Minced beef (10% fat) | 1 kg | 2.2 lb |
| Medium white onions (finely chopped) | 2 | 2 |
| Celery stalks (finely chopped) | 3 | 3 |
| Large red chillis (de-seeded and finely chopped) | 4 | 4 |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Ground coriander | 1 tsp | 1 tsp |
| Ground cumin | 1.5 tsp | 1.5 tsp |
| Oregano (dried is fine) | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Hot chilli powder | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| Soft dark brown sugar | 2 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Salt and pepper | Plenty | Plenty |
| Tomato puree | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Worcestershire sauce | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Chopped tomatoes (tinned) | 800g | 1.75 lb |
| Kidney beans | 400g | 14 oz |
| Borlotti beans | 400 g | 14 oz |
| Haricot beans | 400 g | 14 oz |
| Beef stock | 300 ml | 10.5 floz |
| Fresh coriander (finely chopped) | 30 g | 1 oz |
| Salsa | ||
| Tomato (de-seeded and finely chopped) | 4 | 4 |
| Avocado (cored, peeled and finely chopped) | 2 | 2 |
| Red onion (peeled and finely chopped) | 1 | 1 |
| Large red chilli (de-seeded and finely chopped) | 2 | 2 |
| Fresh coriander (finely chopped) | 30 g | 1 oz |
| Lime juice | 1 lime | 1 lime |
| Salt and pepper | Plenty | Plenty |
| Accompaniments | ||
| Crispy streaky smoked free-range bacon | 12-18 rashers | 12-18 rashers |
| Red or yellow pepper (chopped) | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Cheese (grated or sliced) | Plenty | Plenty |
METHOD
- Put the olive oil in a large non-stick casserole pan and gently fry the onions, celery and chillis for about 10 minutes, until soft.
- Add the mince, turn up the heat and fry until the beef is browned off and the liquid has been absorbed, mixing well along the way. This can take about 30 minutes: be patient as the chilli will be much nicer if you see this through.
- Add in the ground coriander, cumin, oregano, hot chilli powder, sugar, salt and pepper and tomato puree, and mix well.
- Then add the Worcestershire Sauce, chopped tomatoes and beef stock, bring to the boil, cover with a lid, then simmer for about 2 hours.
- Rinse the beans thoroughly in cold water, using a colander, and add them to the mix about 30 minutes before the end, to allow them to warm up and absorb the flavours.
- Sprinkle over the fresh coriander immediately before serving.
- Mix together the salsa ingredients, adding the lime immediately after the avocado to stop the avocado browning.
- The salsa benefits from its own company for a few minutes before serving.
- The toppings have plenty of moisture, so unbuttered crumpets work equally well, but hot bacon on cold butter is particularly lovely.
- Our preferred order of assembly is: bacon, salsa, chilli, peppers, cheese.
- The topping are obviously a matter of personal preference. Pimp your heart out.
The chilli
The salsa
The crumpets
OTHER NOTES
Don't forget to use bacon from happy pigs, or karma might come to bite you on the arse.
Helen Browning smoked streaky bacon is probably our number one.
