Roll up, roll up! Tuck into my spicy Mexican enchiladas...

CHILLI con carne is a classic dish any time of year. Served with rice, it’s one of the best comfort foods known to man - in my book!

This weekend though, I’m giving it a new lease of life by using this spicy beef mince mix to fill enchiladas, before baking it in the oven.

Enchiladas originated in Mexico, eaten from the time of the Aztec empire. Back then, most foods were rolled into soft tortillas as an easy way to eat. Later, the stuffed enchiladas were often served in a tomato sauce loaded with cheese on top, which is exactly what I’ve done here.

They make a substantial family meal, served with a big green salad on the side. It’s worth making the chilli con carne especially for this dish, but it’s also a great way to use up leftover chilli con carne, when you can bulk out the filling with extra veggies to make it go further.

For pudding, I’m moving swiftly along from Mexico back to Europe, and a light egg-based Italian dessert called Zabaglione. This is a richer version of the classic nursery dish of Lemon Posset.

Instead of using lemons to flavour, Zabaglione has a splash of sweet Marsala wine or sweet sherry to give it a boozy kick!

A lovely dessert to counterbalance the spiciness and full flavoured enchiladas

RECEIPT

Main dish

Steak Mince 500g €4.19

Kidney beans 400g 48c

Mushrooms 300g €1.19

Basil €1.19

Onion (net) €1.19

Chillies (pack) €1

Passata Rustica 2 x 690g €2.78

Cheddar Cheese 200g €2.19

Total: €13.02

Dessert

Free range eggs half dozen €2.20

Raspberries 150g €2.29

Icing sugar 500g 89c

Total: .€5.38

GRAND TOTAL: €18.40

Raspberry Zabaglione

Ingredients (serves 4) 150g raspberries 1 tsp icing sugar 6 free range egg yolks Few drops vanilla essence 2-3 tbsp Marsala or sweet sherry Method Lightly crush the berries with icing sugar and spoon into four serving glasses Place egg yolks in a bowl and add vanilla essence. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Whisk the mix until it begins to thicken.

Add Marsala or sweet sherry and keep whisking till the mix is thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk is removed.

Pour the custard mix over the strawberries in serving glasses. Serve with dessert biscuits.

Chilli Enchiladas

Ingredients (serves 4) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 100g button mushrooms, halved 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1 fresh green chilli, seeded and finely slcied 500g best minced beef 1 tsp hot chilli powder (or use mild, to taste) 1 tsp ground coriander 700g passata rustica 150mls beef stock 1 tsp dried oregano Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed For the Enchiladas 700g passata rustica 4 large soft tortilla wraps 1 ripe avocado, stoned peeled and sliced 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into strips 2-3 tbsp grated cheese Fresh basil leaves to finish

Method

For the chilli, heat oil in a frying pan and fry onion, mushrooms, garlic and fresh chilli till softened but not browned. Transfer to a heavy bottomed saucepan.

Fry mince in the frying pan until browned. Transfer to the saucepan.

Add the chilli powder and ground coriander and cook over medium heat, stirring, for a minute.

Pour over the rustic passata and add stock and oregano. Season.

Bring to bubbling and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, covered. Make sure it doesn’t boil during the cooking and add more stock if necessary.

Add the kidney beans then continue simmering, covered, for another 10 minutes or till the mince is tender. Remove from heat and cool.

For the Enchilladas, spoon half of the tomato and garlic passata into the base of an ovenproof dish.

Lay a tortilla wrap on a chopping board and spoon a quarter of the chilli mince down the centre in a line. Pop a few slices of avocado on top.

Fold in the left and right edges of the tortilla, then roll up to enclose. Place neatly in the dish.

Repeat this to use up the mince, avocado and tortillas, tucking them neatly side by side in the tray.

Pour over the remaining passata. Sprinkle with pepper strips and grated cheese.

Cover with foil and bake in a pre-heated oven, Gas 4 180C for aobut 25 minutes, or until the enchiladas are piping hot in the centre. Test by piercing with a skewer to make sure they are hot all the way through.

Remove foil and return dish to the oven for a further five minutes, just to brown the top.

DRINK MATCH

THESE flavoursome enchiladas deserve a nice glass of red wine to accompany them.

This dish, with its kick of chilli, needs a red that packs fruit and its own touch of spice in the glass.

The Rhone region of France is the original home of the Syrah grape, now known better as Shiraz, the name adopted by Australian winemakers who began to market wines by grape names.

In its European home, Syrah is used to make the famous spicy and full bodied reds of the Rhone region.

I’ve found one that will go perfectly with these enchiladas. Aldi’s Chasseux et Fils Cotes du Rhone is elegantly bottled in dark glass embossed with the winemaker’s crest. It looks expensive and tastes expensive - but it’s not expensive!

This lovely red comes with all the warm spiciness you’d expect from a Rhone wine, plus a bucket of ripe blackberry and blackcurrant fruit to balance.

Luscious and generous with its personality, this is one for the table this weekend. And at just €8.99 a bottle, you’d be getting yourself a proper bargain!

Find it in Aldi stores now. It’s a good one for barbecued foods as well, especially burgers and spicy lamb kebabs.