Chilli Con Jamie

Serves 10-12

2kg beef brisket, trimmed and sliced into 2.5cm thick pieces (note I now use gravy beef, I've dont it with the brisket but it's too fatty)

500ml hot coffee

3 large dried chillies

olive oil

2 heaped tsp smoked paprika

1 heaped tsp dried oregano

2 bay leaves

2 red onions, peeled and diced

3-4 fresh chillies

2 cinnamon sticks

10 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

s&p

4 x 400g tins of chopped toms

3 TBSP molasses or muscovado sugar

3 capsicums, red, yellow & green (sliced)

2 x 400g beans (kidney, butter or pinto), drained

Natural yoghurt to serve

Make coffee and while it's hot, soak the dried chillies in it for a few minutes to let them rehydrate. Meanwhile, put your largest casserole type pan on a low heat and add a few lugs of olive oil, the cumin, paprika, oregano, bay leaves and onions. Fry for 10 mins, until the onions have softened. Deseed and chop half your fresh chillies. Slice up the rehydrated chillies and add them to the onion mixture along with the s&p and a splash of the chilli-infused coffee. Stir, then add the rest of the coffee, the tinned tomatoes and the molasses or sugar. Add the pieces of meat and another good pinch of s&p, cover with lid and simmer for around 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

After a few hours use 2 forks to break up the meat (I don't do this with the gravy beef I like it to be chunky). Once this is done add the caps, tinned beans and leave to simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 mins with the lid off until the meat is completely falling apart. Have a taste and season well if needed and add the rest of the fresh chillies.

This is awesome served with the flatbreads and maybe some jacket pots that you have wrapped in foil and chucked in the fire and maybe a guacamole as well, put heaps of natural yoghurt or sour cream over the top.

We did this on an open fire in a camp oven on a tripod, just have to adjust the heat, at the start it's only a low heat so don't put it over a raging fire or it will burn, I found it best to just put coals underneath and a small log but keep your eye on it and make sure it's just simmering away.

Flatbreads

Makes 8

250g plain flour plus extra for dusting

1 tsp of salt

1 TBSP of olive or sunflower oil

150ml of warm water

Sift flour into a mixing bowl along with the salt.

Spoon the oil into the jug with the warm water. Pour the liquid over the flour in a thin stream, stirring well all the time with fingers. Bring the flour and water into a soft mass of slightly sticky dough. (Note Grant does this in the food processor at home and they actually come out better).

Sprinkle a little flour on the work surface and take the dough out of the bowl. Start kneading it by pushing the heel of your hand into the dough to stretch it. Fold it over and quarter turn and then stretch it again. If the dough feels to sticky sprinkle with a little more flour. Knead for about 5 mins until smooth and plump.

Cover the ball of dough with the bowl and leave sit for at least 15 mins. Roll the dough into a sausage shape and cut into eight, roll each piece into a ball and then flour your surface and roll out each piece, don't sit them on top of each other as they will stick. Get a hot pan going or bbq grill, don't use any oil and cook on each site until they start to puff up, about 1-2 mins each side, keep them warm in between a tea towel.

Apricot Loaf

Soak the following ingredients in a large bowl for about half an hour or so:

1 cup albran
1 cup sultanas
¾ cup dried apricots (chopped)
¼ cup sugar
1 TBSP golden syrup
1 ½ cups milk

Then add 1 ½ cups self raising flour and add a little more milk if it’s too stiff. Cook in oven 180 degrees or so until ready. Sorry this is mum’s recipe and it’s just watch and see.