Meat mains
Mexican Chilli Beef with Butternut Mash
A quick Mexican chilli beef with a butternut mash and topped with sour cream for a warming, speedy supper. Cutting the squash into small pieces helps to speed up the cooking process. The beef is lean and thinly cut so it takes very little time to cook. Cook it on a high heat to ensure you get some colour on the outside; it all adds to the flavour. Let the meat sit for a while to relax, in much the same way you would with a steak; it makes for a juicer and more flavourful result. It also gives you time to mash and season the squash to perfection.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- salt and pepper
- 1 red onion
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- oil for frying
- 15g coriander
- 1 fresh chilli
- 1 lime
- 250g beef stir-fry strips
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- 175g soured cream
Method
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Step 1
Put a saucepan of water on to boil. Peel the squash, remove the seedy core with a spoon, and chop the flesh into small 2cm pieces.
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Step 2
Add the diced squash to the water with a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and cook for 25 mins, until the squash is very tender.
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Step 3
Meanwhile, peel and slice the red onion. Deseed and slice the peppers. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the frying pan. Add the onion and peppers. Cook gently for 15 mins until softened. Add a dash of water if they look like catching at any point.
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Step 4
While the onions and peppers cook, wash the coriander and shake it dry. Discard the stalks and roughly chop the leaves.
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Step 5
Deseed and finely chop the chilli. Cut the lime into wedges. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
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Step 6
When softened, remove the pepper and onions from the pan. Add another 1 tbsp oil to the pan and turn up the heat. Add the beef and fry on a high heat for 1 min, turning often.
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Step 7
Return the peppers to the pan, along with the cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon and the chilli powder. Fry everything together for a further 1 min. Taste and add some fresh chilli for more heat and a squeeze or 2 of lime juice, to taste. Remove from the heat and set to one side.
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Step 8
Drain the squash and return it to the pan. Mash it and season, to taste. (You can pulse the squash in a processor for a smoother result, if you like.)
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Step 9
Divide the mash between 2 plates and top with the beef and peppers. Divide the soured cream between them and garnish with chopped coriander and a wedge of remaining lime. Add a little more chopped chilli if you fancy