Chilli Salad Bowls

Ingredients for  4  Servings

• 300g

  Lean beef mince (less than 10% fat)
• 1

  Small onion, finely chopped
• 2

  Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 tsp

  Ground cumin
• 1 tsp

  Ground coriander
• 1 tsp

  Hot chilli powder
• 2 tbsp

  Tomato purée
• ½ tsp

  Caster sugar
• 300ml

  Beef stock, made with 1 beef stock cube
• 4

  Large flour tortillas
• 1 tsp

  Sunflower oil
• 1

  Romaine lettuce or 3 baby gem lettuces, leaves thickly shredded
• 3

  Ripe vine tomatoes, sliced
• 15cm

  Piece cucumber, sliced
• 4

  Spring onions, trimmed and sliced
• ½

  Lime, juice only
• 40g

  Mature cheddar
• 4 tbsp

  Half-fat crème fraîche
• 4 tbsp

  Fresh tomato salsa sauce
• -

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Approximate Times

• Preparation :

  Less than 30 minutes
• Cooking :

  30 minutes to 1 hour

Method

1. Put the minced beef, onion and garlic in a medium non-stick saucepan and cook over a high heat for five minutes, stirring with two wooden spoons to break up any clumps of meat. Stir in the cumin, coriander and chilli and cook for two minutes more, stirring constantly. Add the tomato purée, sugar and beef stock and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and leave to simmer gently over a low heat for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and stir the chilli mixture occasionally.
2. While the beef is cooking, prepare the tortilla bowls. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Take a sheet of foil about 1 metre long and scrunch it up into a ball about 10cm in diameter. Place it in the centre of a large baking sheet.
3. Take a tortilla and brush the centre on one side with a little of the oil – this will help prevent it sticking to the foil. Drape the tortilla over the ball of foil, oil-side down, pinching and loosely pleating it to create a bowl shape. Bake for five minutes until the bowl shape is set and the tortilla is lightly crisped.
4. Take the tortilla out of the oven and carefully remove it from the foil – it should be just cool enough to handle. Place the tortilla on an upturned tumbler and press to create a flat base on which to turn the tortilla once cold. The tortilla should still be warm enough to mould to the shape of the glass. Leave to cool while you make the next bowl in the same way. Put each upturned tortilla on a plate as soon as it is ready.
5. Remove the lid from the pan of beef and turn the heat up high. Cook for a further 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the beef is looking fairly dry. Take the pan off the heat.
6. Toss the lettuce with the tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions and lime juice. Divide the salad between the tortilla bowls and season with black pepper, then top with the hot mince. Coarsely grate some cheddar over each serving and add some crème fraîche and salsa. Tuck in while the beef is warm.