Dean's three mince recipes
This week our chefs are showing you how to make three meals from one main ingredient and today Dean Edwards is showing us the best ways to get the most out of your mince with a pasta bake, chilli bean pot pies and spicy chilli beef nachos.
Beefy mushroom pasta bake
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
Reserved beef and tomato sauce (see chilli ben pot pies recipe, below)250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced1 tsp dried oregano300g penne pasta70g Parmesan cheese, grated1 ball mozzarella, torn50g breadcrumbs
Method
Take a large non-stick pan and fry the mushrooms over a very high heat until golden this will take around 6-7 minutes. Add this into the reserved beef and tomato sauce along with the dried oregano.
Cook the pasta to the packet's instructions, drain then toss through the sauce
Pour this into a baking dish and top with the torn mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and the breadcrumbs. Bake in a preheated oven set at 190c / gas mark 5 for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Chilli bean pot pies
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
130g chorizo, diced into 1cm cubes1 green pepper, deseeded and finely diced1 red pepper, deseeded and finely diced400g tin red kidney beans, drained1 tsp ground cinnamon1 tsp ground cumin1 tsp dried oregano1 tsp chilli powder (or more to taste)100g grated Mexicana cheese or4 sheets Filo pastry30g butter melted for brushing
For the beefy tomato sauce:
1kg beef mince (best quality you can afford)2 large onions, finely diced2 large carrots, finely diced6 cloves garlic, crushed2 heaped tbsp tomato puree500ml carton tomato passata700ml beef stockPinch sugar
Method:
Fry the beef mince in a hot pan for 5-6 minutes until browned then add the onion, garlic and cook for a further for 3-4 minutes. Add the passata, puree and stock then stir to combine. Bring up to a simmer then cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, season with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Remove around a third of the mixture and set this aside for the pasta bake.
Take the cubed chorizo then fry for 1-2 minutes in a pan before adding in the peppers and spices, cook for a further 5 minutes. Take the remaining beef and tomato sauce then add into the pan along with the beans. Bring up to a simmer along with some beef stock if needed and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove a portion of the chilli mince and reserve this for the chilli beef nachos. Divide the remaining mixture into 4 individual ovenproof dishes then top with a scrunched up sheet of filo pastry, brush with butter then sprinkle over the grated cheese. Bake in a pre heated oven set at 190c / gas mark 5 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Spicy chilli beef nachos (lunch recipe)
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
Reserved chilli mince (see chilli bean pot pies recipe, above)Large bag nachos (flavour of your choice)150g grated Mexicana cheese½ jar pickled jalapenos3-4 spring onions, finely sliced2 plum tomatoes, deseeded and dicedSour cream, to serve
Method:
Warm the chilli mince in a saucepan
Place some of the nachos into a large baking dish then spoon over some mince and sprinkle over some cheese. Repeat until ingredients are used up and finally sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
Pop into a preheated oven set at 200C/gas mark 6 for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is golden and melted. Scatter over the jalapenos, spring onions, tomatoes and finally drizzle over the sour cream before tucking in.