Lamb Chilli Tacos

This is such a fun family meal - there is something really enjoyable about using your hands to eat. 

I always have to make two separate batches of the lamb chilli - as Glen and I like a fiery chilli kick, whereas the girls like a milder version and I've given the advise below for the spicy one - but if you prefer a milder version, take out the jalopeno chillies from the chilli, and leave out the ancho chilli paste.

I always serve with a spicy tomato salsa (3 tomatoes, 1 red onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2 chillies, heaps of coriander, juice of 1 lime, dash of white wine vinegar, dash of honey, sea salt - all roughly chopped and blitzed in the Nutribullet). For the girls, they have just chopped tomatoes so they don't feel left out!

I use my homemade guacamole too which is 1 large (ripe) avocado, 1 red onion and 1 tomato both diced, minced garlic, lime juice, coriander, coarse sea salt - I smush this up with a pestle and mortar. 

I also always serve with sour cream, lots of grated cheese (combination of Cheddar and Red Leicester) and some tortilla chips - which go down well with the children.

Lamb Chilli Tacos

Here's how:

For the lamb chilli:

• 400g lamb mince
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
•  1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 heaped tsp chipotle paste
• 1.5 tsp ancho chilli paste
• 1 drained tin of red kidney beans
• 2 green chillies
• 60g dried sultanas
• 4 small squares of dark chocolate
• Salt
• White pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 250ml chicken stock
• Juice of 1 lime

To assemble:

• Small tortilla wraps (I use the Rowan Hill ones from Lidl)
• Fry Light Spray
• 40g each Cheddar and Red Leicester
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• Guacamole (recipe above or shop bought is fine)
• Tomato Salsa (recipe above or shop bought)
• 1 big pack of tortilla chips

To make the chilli, firstly add a little olive oil into a large frying pan (I actually use a wok) and place on a medium heat. Dice the onion and red pepper and mince the garlic and add to the pan to saute.

Once this has begun to soften, add the lamb mince and season generously with salt and white pepper. Use a wooden spatula or spoon to break up the mince a little so it doesn't clump together as it cooks. I add the cumin and dried cinnamon to the lamb mince here too. 

Once the mince has browned off a little, add the tomatoes, the remaining spices, the oregano, tomato puree, chipotle paste, ancho chilli paste, the chillies, red kidney beans, sultanas, chicken stock, and the cinnamon stick. Give a good stir and then cook for about an hour on low. 

Once the chicken stock has reduced down a lot add the chocolate and the juice of the lime. You can either cook this ahead of time, or just as you need. Cooking for an hour helps to intensify the flavour and thicken up the chilli, but if you are short for time, 30 minutes will do nicely, just reduce the chicken stock by half.

To assemble, I add some Fry Light to a large frying pan and place on high then quickly fry off each tortilla wrap on both side. Then I use an empty egg box to place each tortilla in between two sections, which helps it to get it's taco shape. 

To dish up, I spoon in 1-2 tbsp of the lamb chilli into each chilli then scatter over some grated cheese and spoon over a little guacamole and leave the rest on a platter for everyone to tuck into. I keep all of the limes used throughout for the chilli, the salsa and the guacamole  and help to prop up the end tacos if they start to lose their shape. 

The amount should leave enough for another portion (the above serves 4) which is fab on a jacket potato, with rice, over tortilla chips for great nachos or with some salad.