Saturday Night Nachos

Cheesy nachos, chilli con carne, guacamole, half fat sour cream with paprika

Today Alex went out with a friend for a boozy lunch, came home, collapsed on the sofa and woke up with a raging hangover!  Poor baby.

So tonight for supper we had nachos with cheese, alongside chilli con carne, guacamole, and half fat soured cream.

Now, contrary to common belief, chilli con carne and nachos are not traditional Mexican fare.  They are in actual fact from the Lone Star State that is Texas.

Growing up, my father used to cook us nachos with all the trimmings regularly as it was a firm family favourite.  In my own home, Alex and I used to enjoy my version, until we went on holiday to Mexico in November, and had a nacho and guacamole overdose!  Four months later, we wondered why we'd ever stopped!

Anyhow this is my version of nachos with all the trimmings.  It takes quite a while, but you don't need to be cooking the entire time, and it's definitely worth it.

Here's what I used:

For the chilli con carne:

Olive oil

Large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

500g lean minced beef

6 rashers of streaky bacon

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp paprika

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of kidney beans

200ml stock, beef or chicken

Dash of soy sauce

For the guacamole / salsa:

1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped

4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Small bunch of fresh coriander, including stalks (as they have lots of flavour)

Juice of 1 lime

For the nachos:

1 bag of plain tortilla chips

200g grated mild cheddar

1 tub of half fat sour cream

Saute the onions and garlic gently, until they start to caramelise.

Turn up the heat, fry the beef mince, in batches, as we want the mince to brown quickly, and overcrowding in the pan will cause steam.

Add the spices, cook off in the pan.

Add tomatoes, kidney beans and stock.  Bring to the boil, then simmer at a low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, checking for seasoning.  If salt is needed, I like to add a few dashes of soy sauce, as I like the deep flavour.

15 minutes before the chilli cooking ends, heat the oven, grate the cheese.

Now prepare the guacamole simply by mixing all the chopped ingredients in a bowl.  I like it fairly chunky, as it makes it easier for scooping.

Lay the tortilla chips all over a baking sheet, sprinkle over the cheese, and bake until all the cheese has melted.  This should take no longer than 5 - 7 minutes at 200 degrees celsius.

Take to the table immediately!  Despite the irony, I like to serve the hot cheesy nachos in a big handmade bowl we brought back from Mexico....

Serve with love....and a cold, refreshing cerveza...

xoxo....