Dinner for Under £10 – Pressure Cookers, Chilli and Chateau Les Graves de Barrau

I thought it would be useful to include some more recipes for Pressure Cookers as there don't seem to many around. I love Chilli con Carne and have found a great recipe that you can cook in under 10 minutes! The name Chilli con Carne comes from Spanish, meaning "peppers with meat." There is a big debate as to where the dish originated from and Chilli con Carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas. According to an old American Indian legend it is said that the first recipe for Chilli con Carne was put on paper in the 17th century by Sister Mary of Agreda of Spain. She was mysteriously known to the Indians of the South west United States as "La Dama de Azul," the lady in blue. Sister Mary would go into trances with her body lifeless for days. When she awoke from these trances, she said her spirit had been to a faraway land where she preached Christianity to savages and counselled them to seek out Spanish missionaries. It is certain that Sister Mary never physically left Spain, yet Spanish missionaries and King Philip IV of Spain believed that she was the ghostly "La Dama de Azul" of Indian Legend. Sister Mary's recipe called for venison or antelope meat, onions, tomatoes, and chilli peppers.

Another school of thought believes that the first chilli mix was concocted around 1850 by Texan adventurers and cowboys as a staple for hard times when travelling to and in the California gold fields and around Texas. It is said that some trail cooks planted pepper seeds, oregano, and onions in mesquite patches (to protect them from foraging cattle) to use on future trail drives. It is thought that the chilli peppers used in the earliest dishes probably grew wild on bushes in Texas, particularly the southern part of the state.

Apparently Jesse James, outlaw and desperado of the old American West, refused to rob a bank in McKinney, Texas because that is where his favourite chilli parlour was located. Clark Gable requested Chilli con Carne as his last meal when he was dying in the hospital and during the filming of the movie Cleopatra in Rome, Elizabeth Taylor had it sent to her, costing $200 to have it shipped to her there!

Chilli con Carne

2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb mince
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can tomatoes
2 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch cumin
1 to 1 ½ tbsp chilli powder
1/2 cup beef stock
1 can kidney beans
1 small can button mushrooms

Heat pressure cooker. Add oil and brown meat. Add onion, garlic, celery and green pepper. Sauté lightly. Add tomatoes and liquid drained from beans and mushrooms. Combine salt, pepper, chilli powder and stock. Mix well. Close securely. When it comes to pressure, reduce heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes. Cool cooker at once. Add beans and mushrooms and reheat to boiling. Keep at low simmer for flavour development for a few minutes.

I'd choose a bottle of Chateau Les Graves de Barrau (£4.89) to pair with Chilli con Carne – it's a good crimson colour and has lovely aromas of cherry with a very fine hint of vanilla. It's well rounded and fleshy in the mouth with well balanced tannins. Graves de Barrau has a long silky finish and to enjoy its full potential it should be decanted and let breathe for a good while whilst bringing up to room temperature. It's a fantastic bargain and is attracting attention from the world's wine press so keep your eyes open for it!