Chilli con carne

Put the dried chilli, ground cumin, oregano, cinnamon, thyme and half the garlic into a dish and add the beef.

Turn the meat to coat and leave in the fridge to marinate for a few hours, or overnight if possible.

Heat the olive oil in a deep stew pot over a medium heat and gently fry the cumin and coriander seeds for a few minutes until you start to smell them.

Turn up the heat, stir in the beef with the thyme and fry until brown on all sides. Add salt, the fresh chilli, remaining garlic, Spanish onions and carrots and keep stirring until the onions are transparent and the carrots soft – about 15-20 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the kidney beans. Pour in water just to cover, and simmer for 1 hour with lid on. Then take lid off and simmer for up to 1 hour more, until the meat is very tender and the whole lot has become quite thickened.

While the chilli is simmering, prepare the onions. In a little bowl squeeze the lime juice over the thinly sliced red onion; turn the onions over with a spoon a few times, then macerate for half an hour.

Finish by adding a pinch of ground cumin to the chilli to give fresh flavour to the slow-cook.

Lastly check the seasoning and consistency – if it looks a little dry, slowly stir in water until it loosens.

Serve with sour cream, macerated onions and wedges of lime.