Vegetarian chilli with cornbread crust and pineapple salsa

Mandy Mazliah

Serves 4

Veggie chilli with cornbread crust and pineapple salsa

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Ingredients

For the chilli
• Olive oil
• Half a small butternut squash, peeled and diced (around 400g)
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder (optional)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 2 x 400g tins of beans (I used black beans and kidney beans), drained
• Salt and pepper (optional, to taste)
For the cornbread crust
• 110g coarse cornmeal or polenta
• 35g strong white bread flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 225g natural yoghurt
• 1 medium egg
For the pineapple salsa
• 200g fresh pineapple, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 red chilli, chopped (optional)
• Juice of one lime
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• Salt, (optional, to taste)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6. Place the diced butternut squash in a roasting dish, drizzle with olive oil and roast for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Remove from the oven when cooked.
2. Heat a little olive oil in a large ovenproof saucepan (if you don't have one you can transfer to an ovenproof dish later). Add the onion, stir well, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and sweat for 10-15 minutes until soft. Remove the lid then add the garlic, herbs and spices. Cook for one more minute, then add the pepper and carrot. Cover with the lid again and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until the carrot is beginning to soften.
3. Add the beans and the chopped tomatoes and stir in the butternut squash once cooked. You may need to add a little water as well if it looks dry. 
4. Cook over a low heat for an extra 10 minutes - or as long as you like. This dish improves in flavour the longer you leave it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. While it's bubbling away make the cornbread crust. Place the polenta, flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl and whisk to remove any lumps. In a separate bowl beat the egg and beat in the yoghurt. When you are ready to bake, mix the two together and pour over the top of the chilli. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted in the crust comes out clean. NB: if you transfer the chilli to a shallow dish you may need to make extra crust to cover the whole of the top.
6. While the crust is baking make the pineapple salsa. It really is as simple as mixing everything together in a bowl. Red chilli looks lovely with it, but I usually leave this off so the kids can eat some.