Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Meat
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos

Chilli con carne with a cornbread topping

by Jeanne Horak on December 23, 2010 9 Comments in Meeting bloggers, Recipes - meat

ChilliConCarne © J Horak-Druiff 2010

 

The first time I met my twin sister, I was 40 years old.

No, I wasn’t adopted; and neither was she.  And we weren’t the victims of some sort of acrimonious divorce or a long-standing parental feud.  You see it’s just that the stork that was tasked with dropping her off, dropped her off at the wrong house, on the wrong continent.  I mean, it’s not possible that we can read each other’s minds; love the same music and books; believe the same things; speak in our own silly secret sibling language; predict the other’s reactions to almost anything and NOT be related, right?? So Mr Stork, I am demanding compensation from you for separating me from my sister for all these years and conspiring with fate to make us end up living with an ocean (or at least a channel!) between us, instead of on the same street.  It’s just not fair [stomps foot]!

JeanneMeetaCollage

In fact, while we are on the topic of unfairness, I have another bone to pick with the stork – not only did he drop off my sister-from-another-mother Meeta at the wrong house:  he screwed up again with my other Spice Sisters Jamie, Hilda and Kerrin!  I mean, come on, how many times does a stork have to screw up before he gets his feathery ass fired?  It’s all very well for him, flapping off into the sunset, but we have to live with the pain of sisterly separation!  What to do, what to do…

Just as they say living well is the best revenge, we figure that getting together in the same place regularly is our best revenge.  Our first meeting was in November ’09; then we met up again for a giant spice sleepover at CookSister HQ in the summer; and who can forget the magical weekend Meeta & I spent in Weimar swooning over a-ha?? And exactly 3 days after I returned from Weimar in July, Meeta & I started planning our next reunion back at CookSister HQ! Months of planning finally came to fruition in November when I picked Meeta & Jamie up from the airport and could finally hug them to my heart’s content.

The weekend was suitably action packed with dinners, brunches, a concert, cocktails, shopping and late-night DVDs (!), but my favourite part was without a doubt our Sunday evening when we stayed home and cooked together.  They say the kitchen is the heart of a home, and if that’s the case I’m glad we bought a house with a big kitchen – it needed to be big to contain all the love in the room that evening.  Once our Aperol and prosecco cocktails were poured, we started cooking; talking; laughing; sharing; hugging; commiserating; advising; teasing; singing; venting; Tweeting; debating; and did I mention laughing and hugging?? Anybody watching through the window would have seen the ease with which we moved around each other in the kitchen; the in-jokes and the teasing; the bubbling laughter and easy familiarity and sworn we were old friends who had grown up together.  Or sisters: the people who not only let me be myself, but make me feel that I am being all I can be.

JeanneMeetaJamieCollage

JeanneMeetaJamieGroup

So what do you cook with your spice sisters if you only get to cook with them once or twice a year?  It had to be something simple (more time for enjoying each other’s company and less time faffing with the food!); something comforting (to ease the pain of their immnent departure); and something to keep the winter chill at bay.  The previous evening, Meeta and I had been sitting in bed leafing through my cookbooks (yes, this is the sad kind of thing that food bloggers do!) and our eyes had alighted on a recipe for chilli con carne topped with cornbread from Nigella Lawson’s Feast.  Decision made! And a good decision it was too: although the chilli is quite ingredient-heavy and needs a long time bubbling on the stove, it rewards you tenfold in terms of depth of flavour and sheer lip-smacking satisfaction.

There was an old 1980s movie The Big Chill which carried the tagline “in a cold world, you need your friends to keep you warm”.  But that’s not entirely true – you need this chilli con carne, and your sisters.

©J Horak-Druiff All rights reserved Chilli2

NIGELLA’S CHILLI CON CARNE WITH A CORNBREAD TOPPING (serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

FOR THE CHILLI:
2 onions
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3 cardamom pods, bruised
1 red bell pepper
750g minced beef
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp chipotle ketchup (or use ordinary tomato ketchup instead)
4 tbsp tomato puree
125ml water
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 x 400g tin red kidney beans

FOR THE CORNBREAD:
3/4 tsp salt
325g cornmeal
2 tbsp plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsps ground cinnamon
375ml buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp clear honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
100g Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

Method

Peel and finely chop the onions; crush or mince the garlic.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan (large enough to take ALL the ingredients!) and fry the onion and garlic until they begin to soften. Add the chilli, coriander, cumin and crushed cardamom pods and stir well. Deseed and finely dice the red pepper and ad to the pan.

Break up the minced beef into the pan and, using a fork, keep turning it to separate it as the meat browns.  Add the chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, ketchup, purée and water, stirring to make rich sauce. When the chilli starts to boil, add the cocoa powder and stir it in. Simmer partially covered for 1 1/2 hours but do not allow to burn.

Preheat the oven to 220°C.  Spoon or pour the chilli into a large, wide ovenproof dish. Combine the salt, cornmeal, flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, honey and oil in a jug, and then stir into the dry ingredients, mixing to make a (fairly sloppy) batter.

Pour the cornbread batter over the chilli con carne as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the cornbread and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cornbread topping is risen and golden and the chilli underneath is bubbling.

Once our of the oven, let the chilli stand for about 5 minutes before cutting the cornbread topping top into squares or slices to serve with a helping of chilli underneath. Serve the chilli with guacamole, some cool sour cream, and strong grated Cheddar.

And in other news…

The May 2011 Plate to Page hands-on food writing and photography workshop presented by me, Meeta, Jamie and Ilva is now sold out – but register now if you are interested in Plate to Page II in Italy in Autumn 2011!

More deliciousness for you!

  • Chickpea and chorizo stewChickpea and chorizo stew
  • Chicken biryani for lazy cooksChicken biryani for lazy cooks
  • Creamy chickpea, spinach and zucchini curryCreamy chickpea, spinach and zucchini curry
  • Stuffed courgettesStuffed courgettes

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Heston’s £300 Christmas pudding and Bluebasil brownies – all I want for Christmas!
Saturday Snapshots #122 »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Margaret says

    December 23, 2010 at 10:38 pm

    Thank you Jeanne. How lucky am I to be the winner of such a wonderful competition.

    Reply
  2. Hannah says

    December 24, 2010 at 5:29 am

    Oh, this post speaks to my heart when I think of some of my dearest found-through-the-blog-world soul sisters! Beautifully written, and is so true. That stupid stork got it wrong more than just with you four Spice Sisters, I assure you that 😉
    Someone, somewhere, also made the mistake of having me born in Australia, where cornbread all but doesn’t exist. Clearly, I must make your recipe, then!

    Reply
  3. Jamie says

    December 24, 2010 at 11:27 am

    Can you here me laughing loudly and wailing, sobbing like a baby all at the same time? Destiny, fate or something similar (uh, internet?) brough the three, four, five of us Spice Sisters together just when we all needed it the most and how it has changed our lives! No sisters by blood were ever closer! I can’t imagine my life without you now! Laughing, teasing, gossiping yes, but encouraging, supporting, working, creating together and that is the best Christmas gift I could have ever asked for this year! I raise my glass of bubbly and fork up a mouthful of chilli with cornbread to the Spice Sisters and a huge hug to you and Meeta! Here is to Nantes, Weimar and probably London again in 2011! xo

    Reply
  4. CherylK says

    December 26, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    This was such a pleasure to read, Jeanne. I’m so happy for you and your new found sisters…beautiful ladies, all of you. Meanwhile, the chili recipe looks excellent. I’m thinking that it will be nice to make for New Year’s Eve.
    Happy New Year!

    Reply
  5. Meeta says

    December 27, 2010 at 5:14 pm

    What a lovely post! I am laughing and crying all at the same time, nodding my head to what Jamie said – no real sisters can be as close as we are. You and the Sisters have become a vital part of my life and I cherish the moments we have spent and plan on spending! This was truly my favorite evening too!

    Reply
  6. SaraOneTribeGourmet says

    December 29, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    Lovely Spice Sister you all are! What a wonderful feeling to have such close friends whom you can call your sister. Priceless! 🙂
    Your chilli recipe looks divine!

    Reply
  7. Irv Salos says

    December 29, 2010 at 6:40 pm

    Thanks ever so much for that recipe! I’m in heaven!

    Reply
  8. Winstrol says

    December 30, 2010 at 6:30 pm

    That is a wonderful recipe. Thank you for sharing.
    Winston Rolbacher

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Enter your address to subscribe via e-mail

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
  • Myristica Grenadian supperclub
  • 8 favourite Singapore food experiences
  • Sticky spiced plum upside-down cake and 16 years of blogging
  • IT restaurant
  • Plum and peach flapjack crumble [GF]
  • The White Horse Inn, Sutton
  • Patron Cave a Manger (Review)

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
How to sautée Brussels sprouts
My big, fat South African potato bake

Featured on

Also available on

cooksister

Jeanne | Stylish food & travel


Are you a cook... or a baker?
I fall firmly into

Are you a cook... or a baker? 
I fall firmly into the "cook" category. Baking is too precise, too fiddly - and best left to those with an affinity for it, I always say! But every now and then, only a cake will do. Say, for example... when you celebrate your blog's SIXTEENTH birthday!! 🎉🍾 Yes, last month Cooksister.com turned sweet sixteen, and to celebrate I baked this sticky spiced plum upside down cake. It's a very forgiving recipe and it's worth every single calorie 😁. Click on the link in my profile to see the recipe or save this post so you can find it later: https://www.cooksister.com/2020/06/sticky-spiced-plum-upside-down-cake.html

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappoint
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Anybody else got Lockdown Itchy Feet Syndrome...?? If it isn't an official disorder,  it certainly should be!

I have always been a dreamer, a planner, an explorer. Few things excite me more than stepping onto the soil of a country I have not visited before. When I am going through tough personal times, my go-to self-help therapy has always been to arrange a trip - to throw off the metaphorical bow lines and sail away to a new adventure. 
But then... Corona 😞  I can honestly say that I am enjoying working from home; enjoying having the time to run every day; enjoying cooking proper meals; enjoying my own company; enjoying the lack of FOMO. But OH MAN, I miss travel. 
This image was taken 2 years ago in St George's, Grenada - my first visit to the Caribbean but  certainly not my last. This photo has me dreaming of the day I can throw off those bow lines and travel again... How are you dealing with the lack of travel during this time?

Am I the only one feeling faintly sad at all the S
Am I the only one feeling faintly sad at all the Spring bulbs that were planted last year that have been flowering in parks and public gardens with nobody (or fewer people, anyway...) around to admire them? Spare a thought for the gardeners at Holland's famous Keukenhof who planted SEVEN MILLION bulbs last winter in preparation for the garden's annual 2-month opening... but because of Covid-19 Keukenhof did not open at all in 2020. 
But the good news is that for the first time in its history, Keukenhof was virtually open this year, meaning you can enjoy the best of the Spring flowers virtually, from the comfort of your armchair.  Keukenhof posted an amazing series of videos to their YouTube channel featuring magnificent 360 degree tours of the 2020 flowering bulbs; a run-down of the best photo spots; talks by various Keukenhof gardeners; and even a visit from Spongebob Squarepants!  You can check out their YouTube channel here https://bit.ly/2WWkahW. Or you can visit my blog  https://bit.ly/2zMgrLL  to see more of my Keukenhof images like this one of a river of tulips from when I visited a few years ago.

Have you visited Keukenhof?  What were your favourite Spring flowers? ⚘⚘⚘

When people tell me they don't like Brussels spro
When  people tell me they don't like Brussels sprouts, my inner voice always cries out the same response: oh honey, you're just doing it wrong! Sesame ginger sprouts are nutty, zingy and delicious - the opposite of the overcooked grey stinky sprouts of your youth, and so easy to make! 🔖 Remember to save this post so you can make the recipe later! The recipe is also on my blog - click the live link in my profile. 
For 4 people you need:
500 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and cooked (I roast mine in a hot oven)
1 x 2cm piece of ginger cut into fine matchsticks
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Salt & pepper 
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the ginger till fragrant. Add the sprouts, mix well and heat through. Remove from heat, add the sesame oil, season and serve topped with toasted sesame seeds.

Did you know that 6 February is Waitangi Day, the
Did you know that 6 February is Waitangi Day, the national day of New Zealand? .

I am marking the occasion with this photo was taken just over 3 years ago on the shores of beautiful Lake Pukaki on the South Island, looking across at Mt Aoraki.  I loved my visit and planned the trip completely independently – here are some tips for anybody thinking of visiting the South Island. .
🔖Click “save” to bookmark these tips for later! ➡️ 1) Take more time than you think you need. In a week you will barely scratch the surface of the South Island - I would say 2 weeks is a comfortable amount of time. ➡️ 2) Don’t assume that summer means hot weather! Even in December (the height of summer) temperatures peak at about 21C in Christchurch. Pack layers. ➡️ 3) Do spend time in Queenstown. It is stunning and one of my favourite places I have ever visited – great for hiking in summer, skiing in winter, sailing on the lake, adventure sports and a base for many surrounding natural attractions. ➡️ 4) Take day trips from Queenstown to Milford Sound and the Franz Josef glacier (but be aware that the weather is often not great). ➡️ 5) Take a road trip! The roads are excellent and generally empty – and it means you get to pose in places like the shore of Lake Pukaki 😊 .
Have you visited New Zealand’s South Island?  Would you like to?  Let me know in the comments!

"Don't just stand there, let's get to it: strike a
"Don't just stand there, let's get to it: strike a pose there's nothing to it!" (Madonna)

Nicole Kidman's is both hands on hips. Meryl Streep's is only left hand on hip. Victoria Beckham's is right hip out, left foot forward (and no smile!). Mine started as a joke many years ago - the earliest evidence I have is from 2005 😎 Do YOU have a signature pose? Tell me in the comments or DM me a pic!

This particular pose was struck on the @chateaulhospitalet estate in the Languedoc, looking out over @gerardbertrandwines vineyards all the way to the Mediterranean. You can read all about my stay there now on the blog - click on the live link in my profile

Even if you are not a French speaker as such, you
Even if you are not a French speaker as such, you may be surprised by the number of French words you already know: rendezvous, entrepreneur, souvenir and ricochet need no introduction. All have been adopted into English wholesale, with their original French meaning and spelling. Perhaps they should apply for settled status post-Brexit... But sometimes a word’s literal translation in French bears no resemblance to what the word has come to mean, such as canape. Although we know the word as meaning a small piece of pastry or bread with a savoury topping served at drinks receptions, the literal translation is a decorative antique sofa. When a clever chef first came up with the idea, the topping was thought to sit on the bread or pastry like a person reclining on a sofa, and the snacks came to be known half-jokingly as canapes. Fact! 
I enjoyed these very elegant canapes (LOVED the lacy little potato lattices!) with Code Rouge sparkling wine before a jazz dinner at Gerard Bertrand’s flagship wine estate Chateau L’Hospitalet in the Languedoc.  The dinner was as  spectacular as the canapes and you can read all about it on my blog now – click the live link in my profile above.

The Christmas decorations may be long gone, but Ol
The Christmas decorations may be long gone, but Old Spitalfields Market where this photo was taken is very much open and is one of my favourite London markets. Here are my top tips for visiting Old Spitalfields:

1.  The closest station is Liverpool Street which is only a 5 minute walk from the market.
2. It's open daily, with over a hundred stalls, but on Wednesday the focus is on fashion & on Thursday the focus is on antiques & vintage.
3. The busiest day is Sunday - get there early to beat the crowds!
4. Make sure you sample some of the excellent street food on offer - I love the 8-hour pulled pork bagels from Dirty Bagel, topped with cheese melted by blowtorch in front of your eyes; or the traditional raclette at Abondance.
5. Don't forget to check out the amazing Shoreditch street art in the area around the market, either on a tour or self-guided walk.
6. The Truman Brewery just east of Spitalfields hosts a massive collection of vintage clothes stalls, and more street food - don't miss it!

Thanks @meetakwolff for the 📸

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Yo
"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting so... get on your way!" (Dr Seuss)

How are you starting the new decade? Staring at the mountains ahead, worrying about how hard they will be to climb and whether your shoes will be comfortable and whether it is going to rain along the way? Or striding confidently towards the mountains ahead, looking forward to the fresh air filling your lungs and the sense of purpose as your legs carry you ever higher, and relishing the prospect of an amazing view from the top?

There is no finer metaphor for life than a walk in the mountains and I have already made my choice as to how I plan to tackle the mountains of 2020. What's your choice? 
Wishing you all a very happy new year and amazing views from the top of every personal and professional mountain that you climb!

This particular mountain is in the Austrian Alps where I hiked last summer. Thanks to @thepassionatecook for the 📸!


Follow me on Instagram


This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Cooksister

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs

See my Recipes at Feastie

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
Plum upside down cake
plum flapjack crumble
Sesame ginger Brussels sprouts
Jersey-royals-salmon-salad2 © Jeanne Horak 2019
Beef-Udon-noodle-stir-fry-title
P2PIrelandRhubarb © J Horak-Druiff 2013
Blood-orange-halloumi-salad-title

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2021 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2021 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.