Chili con Carne - A Winter Warmer

Lunchtime chili - served with corn chips, a dollop of sour cream
and some grated cheese.

Thanksgiving is over.  We are stuffed with turkey and pumpkin pie and ready for some simple food before we start again with rich Christmas fare.
Also, it's getting cold outside.  We have dug out our winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves from the back of the wardrobe, put on our wooly socks and boots and we are ready to brave the winter weather. Coming home to a hot meal of chill con carne is just the thing to cheer us up at the end of the day.
This meal can be made with store cupboard ingredients.  All you need to buy (or get out of the freezer) is the meat. And not only that, chili is even better the next day, so you can make it in advance and serve it or freeze  it for later - if you can wait that long.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds low fat minced (ground) beef
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 medium sized onions, sliced or diced
1 or 2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 oz tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin water and one stock cube
3 Tablespoons of tomato puree
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons - 1 Tablespoon chili powder (depending on how hot you like it)
2 teaspoons salt
1 tin mixed beans or kidney beans in a mild chill sauce

Metbod:
Heat the olive oil in a deep pan.
Put in the beef and brown it.
Add the onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, water, stock cube and seasoning.
Stir, then cover and bring to a boil.
Immediately, turn the heat down and allow to simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add the tomato puree and the beans and simmer for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve in bowls as above or with pasta and a green salad as shown below:

Supper - chill with pasta and a green salad.