Turning bolognese into chili and a new pad

This last week has been something of a whirlwind. Relocating to a temporary location has proven to be a sad affair - for now. Still full of feelings of displacement from our home of six and a half years, Neil and I are recovering from a long, hectic move while we await the construction of our new town house, now delayed by another month to August 31st. Dreams of many Summer BBQs, surrounded by the many fruit trees and plants we started picking out to decorate our roof deck are fading - at least for this Summer anyway.

We are currently renting an apartment on the 12th floor of a huge building, complete with city views from the floor to ceiling windows. It's exciting, but I miss the many trees that were just outside the windows of our previous place, lending the impression of living in a forest. Although we've been here for a week already, only two nights ago did I actually cook dinner. I made spaghetti Bolognese, which seems to be something of a knee jerk tradition for a new home, being both comforting and delicious. Leftovers looming last night prompted some thought as I can't usually stomach an identical meal straight away and so American / Italian became American / Mexican.

Recipe : 'Chili mash up' with brown rice

The way I was taught to cook Bolognese and Chili uses an almost identical base of onions, garlic, tomatoes, ground beef and stock. A chili would be then spiced with chili powder, cumin and oregano and perhaps a few fresh chilies thrown in at the beginning with the onions. Bolognese may receive some red wine, tomato paste, fresh basil and oregano and both usually have mushrooms added, (red kidney beans too for chili). Purists would be alarmed - how dare I even consider tarring two classics with the same brush. Both are complex, well loved dishes, they would huff. It's true, but oh well....

2 cups of bolognese sauce. See here

1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp butter

1 large Mexican poblano chili or other, seeded and chopped

1 chili pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium or 3 small bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 large scallion, chopped finely

6 small tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

a handful of fresh oregano, finely chopped or 2 tsp dried 

1/2 - 3/4 tsp salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1 cup cooked brown rice

sour cream and grated cheese to serve

Heat the oil and butter in a pan over medium heat and add the poblano chili, chili pepper, bell peppers, scallion and tomatoes. Stir fry until the vegetables are softening and the onions golden brown. Add the Bolognese sauce and all other ingredients except the sour cream and cheese. 

Stir everything together well for several minutes until all heated through and piping hot. Taste and adjust the seasonings with a little more chili powder, salt, cumin etc. until you get a heat level and taste you like.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a large handful of grated cheese and perhaps a few drops of hot sauce to add more zing. We also had half a tortilla each that were sitting in the fridge, (perhaps the most useful ingredient that can live in there).