15-minute chili con carne with lemon bulgur, Jamie Oliver style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 cup bulgur, large cup
• 2 cups water
• 2 lemon(s), pickled
• 1 cinnamon stick(s)
• 400 g lean ground beef
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 700 ml tomatoes, pureed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves
• 4 spring onions
• 3 bell peppers, grilled
• 4 chili peppers, fresh
• 1 can kidney beans, approx. 250 g drained weight
• 1 pinch(s) cumin powder
• 1 lime(s)
• some salt and pepper
• some skimmed milk yogurt

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Heat the water in a kettle. Place a large cup of bulgur wheat into the pot and pour over 2 large cups of boiling water. Add the cinnamon stick and the preserved lemons and simmer with the lid on for about 10-12 minutes. Season the ground beef with salt, pepper, and garam masala, mix well, and form into 16 balls with moistened hands. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the balls on all sides, stirring occasionally. Blend the passata with smoked paprika, half a bunch of coriander with stems, salt, pepper, 2 spring onions, and grilled bell peppers in a blender until a sauce is formed and add to a hot casserole dish. Rinse the blender with a splash of hot water and add the remaining contents to the pan. Score the chilies to prevent them from bursting and roast over a gas flame or in a hot pan until the surface turns black. Drain and rinse the kidney beans. Add them to the pan with the meatballs. Add the cooked meatballs to the pan with the sauce. Season the remaining beans with a pinch of cumin powder. Toss everything together and fry until the beans become crispy and burst after a few minutes, continuing to toss. The beans are ready when the insides have burst. Add them to the simmering sauce with the meatballs. Turn off the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick from the cooked bulgur. Mash the lemons with a fork and mix evenly into the bulgur. Arrange the steaming hot lemon bulgur on a large serving plate around the edge and arrange the chili meatballs with the sauce in the center. Scatter with the remaining finely chopped spring onions and a few coriander leaves. Garnish with the quartered lime and grilled chilies around the edge for a little extra zest. A few dollops of skimmed milk yogurt as a mild contrast round off the dish.