Good old chilli con carne

Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery – don't worry about the technique, just chop away until fine. Halve the red peppers, remove the stalks and seeds and roughly chop. Place your largest casserole-type pan on a medium high heat. Add 2 lugs of olive oil and all your chopped vegetables. Add the chilli powder, cumin and cinnamon with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes until softened and lightly coloured.

Add the drained chickpeas, drained kidney beans and the tinned tomatoes. Add the minced beef, breaking any larger chunks up with a wooden spoon. Fill one of the empty tomato tins with water and pour this into the pan. Pick the coriander leaves and place them in the fridge. Finely chop the washed stalks and stir in. Add the balsamic vinegar and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a simmer with a lid slightly askew for about an hour, stirring every now and again to stop it catching

This is fantastic served with fluffy rice. Just divide the rice and chilli into big bowls or serve in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves. If you don't fancy rice it's equally good with a nice hunk of fresh crusty bread, over a jacket potato or with couscous. Put a small bowl of natural yoghurt, some guacamole and a few wedges of lime on the table, and sprinkle the chilli with the coriander leaves. I love to add a nice green salad to round it off.