Ingredients

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 500g/1lb 2oz shin of beef
• trimmed and cut into 1cm/½in cubes
• 1 large onion
• chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• crushed
• 1 red chilli
• finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 x 400g/14oz tin chopped tomatoes
• 200ml/7fl oz rich beef stock
• salt and black pepper
• 1 x 400g/14oz tin kidney beans
• drained and rinsed
• 3 large roasted red peppers from a jar
• deseeded and roughly chopped
• 125g/4½oz plain flour
• 125g/4½oz cornmeal
• ½ tsp salt
• 115g/4oz unsalted butter
• melted and slightly cooled
• 2 free-range eggs
• beaten
• 250ml/8fl oz buttermilk
• 1 green chilli
• deseeded and very finely chopped
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 120g/4¼oz strong Cheddar cheese
• grated

Directions

• To make the filling (which you can do ahead of time)
• first heat your oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a flameproof casserole over a high heat. Add half the beef and brown it well.
• Remove and set aside in a dish. Add the remaining meat
• and a little more oil if necessary
• brown it and set aside with the rest of the beef.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and add a little more oil to the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5–8 minutes
• until softened.
• Add the chilli
• oregano
• cocoa powder and tomato purée to the onions and stir in. Return the meat to the pan
• along with any juices that have seeped from it
• and cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the tomatoes and beef stock
• bring to a simmer
• then cover and cook in the oven for an hour. Add the kidney beans and peppers and return to the oven for a further hour or until the meat is tender.
• Check the seasoning (if it’s not hot enough for you
• you can spice it up with a little chilli powder) then spoon the mixture into 4–6 deep
• individual pie dishes
• leaving about 2cm/¾in below the rim.
• Turn the oven up to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• To make the cornbread batter
• mix the flour
• cornmeal and salt in a large bowl. In a jug
• combine the melted butter
• eggs
• buttermilk
• green chilli and baking powder. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined - don’t overmix.
• Top the chilli beef with the cornbread batter
• then sprinkle cheese over each dish. Bake for about 30 minutes
• until golden-brown. If you like
• you can finish the pies under the grill for a few minutes to get a really nice golden-brown top. Serve immediately.