Venison chilli

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 brown onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp dried chilli
• 1 kg venison mince
• 1 red capsicum, de-seeded and diced
• 2 x tins (400g) chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup red or black eye beans, cooked or tinned

For the topping

• 1/2 cup instant polenta
• 1/2 cup self-raising flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 150å¡C or 130å¡C fan-forced.

Heat the oil in a very large casserole dish (with a lid), add the onion and garlic, then cook over a low-medium heat, stirring, until the onion has softened.

Add the cumin, coriander, cardoman and dried chilli. Cook, stirring, for a couple more minutes. Increase the heat and add the mince, stirring to break it up and brown the meat. Season well, add the capsicum and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and water and bring to the boil.

Sprinkle over the cocoa powder and stir through the beans. Cover with a lid and place the casserole in the oven for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile make the polenta topping mix by mixing all ingredients together in a large bowl with a fork.

Once the 45 minutes is up you can remove the dish from the oven and, if you like, transfer the chilli to a baking dish or leave it in the casserole. Increase the oven‰Ûªs heat to 180å¡C or 160å¡C fan-forced. Dampen your hands a little and roll the polenta mixture into small balls, about the size of a golf ball.

Place these on top of the meat mixture, about 2cm apart, and return the dish to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the topping is golden and crunchy.

Note

• You can also use beef mince or pork and veal mince for this recipe.
• If you have room in your dish, you can add in other vegetables you have on hand.
• This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder. You can follow Sophie on Local is Lovely, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.