For a party, serve the chile with salsas, slaw, guac, chips and rice; for a quiet mid-week dinner strip it back to just sour cream and rice.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
700g Crown Prince, kabocha or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 3cm chunks
500g celeriac peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
6 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
2 chipotle chillies, deseeded and opened like a book
1 ancho chilli, deseeded and opened like a book
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 heaped tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 tins of black beans, rinsed
2 tins of plum tomatoes
1-2 tbsp soft brown sugar, to taste
30g dark chocolate, at least 70% solids, grated
A small bunch of coriander, leaves picked
To serve
Guacamole
Sour cream
Rice
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 8. Put the squash and celeriac on a baking tray, drizzle over half the oil and season generously. Toss everything together with your hands, spread out and roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the veg is tender but crisp and golden on the edges.
Toast the dried chilli pieces in a small, dry frying pan for a minute on both sides and then cover with boiling water and set aside. Meanwhile pour the remaining oil into a large saucepan, add the onions and sweat over a medium heat for 10 minutes until beginning to soften. Season generously, add the garlic and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Drain the dried chillies, finely chop with a knife and add half to the onions with the spices and oregano. Fry for a minute and add the beans, tomatoes, sugar and chocolate, then fill up the tomato tin with hot water and add to the pan.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until reduced. Stir in the roasted vegetables and check the taste. If you want more spice add the rest of the chillies. Simmer for another 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Check the seasoning, then sprinkle over the coriander and serve with guacamole, rice & sour cream.
