Beef Shin and Butternut Squash Chilli

This was inspired by a recipe card I picked up whilst supermarket shopping a few years ago.  Then, I promptly sat on it ... not literally.  Yesterday, after a close look at the original recipe, there was a quick decision to cheerfully ignore most of it (Friday evening is perhaps not conducive to recipe following).

Onwards and upwards, this beef shin and butternut squash chilli is very tasty.

It's pictured here with a slosh of my favourite hot sauce (cholula), microwaved and charred sweet potato (thank-you gas hob for the final char touch) and some sliced cheddar cheese.

Perfect.

I've marked this recipe as southern U.S.A as it's closest to Tex Mex.  There's nothing 'wrong' there as far as I'm concerned.  When living Stateside, the idea of 16 or so spices in a dish was initially a surprise.  Then, a part-way compromise soon became natural.

Cocoa powder isn't a typo either, it's essential.  The lovely dark stuff used for baking chocolate cakes is perfect.

Ingredients (4):

600g diced beef shin

1 TBSP avocado oil

1 tsp smoked salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Fresh Veges:

1 large or 2 medium onions, peeled and diced

1 stalk of celery, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

300g butternut squash, peeled, diced and pan roasted

Liquids:

1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

100ml beer

300ml beef stock

Spices (A):

1 TBSP tomato puree

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ancho chilli flakes

1/2 tsp chipotle chilli flakes 

(optional, 1/2 tsp herdez barbacoa spice)

Spices (B):

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp of cocoa powder

Method:

Sear the beef in avocado oil then remove it (do this in 2 batches to help brown the beef) with smoked salt and pepper.

Then soften diced onion and finely sliced celery in the beef searing pan.

Add garlic and A spices, stir for 1 or 2 minutes.

Add the seared beef and stir for a further 2-3 minutes, low heat.

Add the liquids and B spices.

Cook for around 2.5 hours on the hob, low heat and lid on pan. It's a sort of light pressure cook.

(Prepare and pan roast the squash)

Add the squash and cook, uncovered, for  30 minutes more.

More chilli inspiration:

Chicken and Black Bean Chilli

Taco Soup