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...two travellers in search of the world's wildlife

9 May 2011

Cold comfort farm

3rd May 2011

Kangaroo Island is expensive to visit. Not only is the 45 minute ferry ride a total of roughly £250 return for us in our hire car, but all the accommodation is 30% more expensive than back on the mainland. Which is why we find ourselves in an en-suite backpacker room on a farm with nothing but a tiny wall heater to warm us. And an outside bathroom. Yes, an outside bathroom. Last time I checked this was Kangaroo Island, not Bali.

If it wasn’t for my magic chilli con carne recipe, we’d be seriously frozen.

Update: hahahaha… that was hilarious. I went back out to the shared outdoors kitchen to make a cup of coffee and there was a Brush-tailed Possum scrounging a bit of leftover rice. He ran away from me into the kitchen and then bolted up onto a metal ceiling joist. Here he got a bit stuck, and hung there like a fat furry avocado while I went back to our room to get Maureen and the camera. He hung around for ages, until he eventually worked out how to crab his way along the beam and scramble down the pole. Whereupon he ran away from us… further into the kitchen and then just perched in the corner hoping we’d forget he existed. Silly creature.

Chilli con carne (serve 4)

  • Brown off a pound of mince in some olive oil, season with salt and pepper as you do
  • Chop an onion and fry gently, then throw in chopped chillies and a teaspoon of ground cumin and one of coriander
  • Fry for just another minute then dump in two tins of chopped tomatoes and one of kidney beans
  • Add three big cloves of garlic chopped up small, a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce and half a tin of water
  • Add another teaspoon of cumin, one of coriander and one of cinnamon
  • Season well, put the mince back in and let the whole thing simmer for an hour or preferably two (adding more water if it dries)
  • Melt some grated cheese over the top under the grill and serve with a dollop of soured cream and a dollop of guacamole

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2 Responses to “Cold comfort farm”

  1. Elle says:

    Shoot! I think I understand, but is mince what us philistines in the USA might call ground beef? This looks like a great dish to serve to my son & husband, but it might need cayenne instead of cinnamon.

    • shortclaws says:

      Yep, ground beef it is. The cinnamon does actually work, you’ll have to trust me on this! I never used to add it, but went to a little Mexican restaurant in London and found they’d added cinnamon to their chilli recipe – I was converted. Of course, if someone in your clan has a definite dislike of cinnamon then I guess it’s out. You’ll obviously add as much/little chilli and cayenne as your guys like!

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