Original subtitles

Beans. Beans. They're good for your heart.

The more you eat, the more you...

Oh, yes, you do! (LAUGHS)

But you know what the reason for that is?

Because beans feed not just you

but they feed your gut microbiome.

And that's why they are so good for you, Mike.

They are, they are, but, as well, they are incredibly tasty.

I'm gonna go all French today.

I'm gonna do a cassoulet dish,

which is filled with beans and sausages,

and just delicious, delicious cooking.

Ooh, delicieux.

Well, I am going to go a little different cultural

because I'm gonna do a black bean and beef chilli bowl.

This is one of my favourite dishes I make all the time at home

with avocado, salsa and some lovely little toppings.

And, honestly, it just fills my soul.

I love this dish.

Can't wait to taste.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)

So, this is my beef and black beans.

I'm gonna showcase these beautiful glossy beans.

This is a super-easy dish to make,

but the one thing you do need to do is cook the beef out quite well.

So, I like to cook this for at least 45 minutes.

Or sometimes I actually even put it into the oven

and put the oven on at about 150 and let it cook for a few hours.

Yeah. Honestly, the longer you cook it

the better it is,

and sometimes it's also even better the next day.

Anyway, Mike, I might get you chopping up for me again.

Yeah, sure. Can you do me some capsicum?

Some... The jalapenos are gonna go in and some zucchini.

So, this is another great dish for you guys who are parents

and you're trying to pack in some vegies into the family meals.

This is a really easy one to get some vegies in.

Diced? Diced. Yes, please.

If your kids are picky about vegies,

you could grate them.

And that's a really nice way to hide some sneaky vegies in there.

So, all I'm gonna do is saute off some red onion.

Or you can use brown or white onions,

whatever you prefer.

I sort of tend to favour the red onions.

Sauteing that in some extra-virgin olive oil.

(SIZZLES)

Without burning them,

but I want them to go a little translucent.

And then I'm going to add in my beef.

And, again, I've gone for quite a lean cut here.

I like to buy premium mince.

And then I add my extra-virgin olive oil.

And we just want to cook that out until the meat is nice and browned.

I'm not gonna add my beans until right at the very end

because I've actually used canned beans.

If you want to use beans from dried...

Yeah. ..please, be my guest.

So, tell me, do you use canned or do you always do it from dried?

I use both. Right.

I use both.

I am a control freak,

so, I like to control the cooking of the bean if I can

and get it to the exact right texture and consistency I want.

That's a good point.

But then sometimes, like, for simple ease and things like hummus as well,

like, I like to make all my own dips and stuff like that at home...

Yeah. ..like, having a tin of chickpeas

is far easier than soaking your chickpeas the night before,

and so on and so on. Exactly.

I agree. That's a good point, actually, about the texture.

Sometimes, you know, canned beans are perhaps more cooked -

and that's why I won't put them in until the end...

Yeah. ..than they would be if you cook them yourself.

Yeah, exactly.

I'm also just gonna pop...

See this? I'm actually putting some salt in here, Mike.

(LAUGHS)

You do need a little bit of salt

both with beans and with meat, I think.

And then we're going to add some spices, so, what I'm gonna use here

is some cumin and some paprika.

You could put some dried coriander in there, some garlic.

And I've got no objection

to using a kind of, you know, spice, Mexican,

or South American-type spice mix if you prefer.

And just cook out those spices

along with the meat and add the vegies as they're ready.

So, you want all the vegies, basically,

to go into... almost into the sauce, basically?

Yeah.

I want it to be a kind of chunky salsa-y

sort of lovely mixture. Yeah.

Because you cook it for so long

they really do all cook in

and you'll get all the kids eating all the vegies.

Nice. And it just adds some colour.

I love using red capsicum

because it just adds that burst of colour to the dish.

And we are about ready to add our sauce.

And then I just add a can of whole peeled vine-ripened tomatoes.

Or you can use chopped tomatoes.

But I've got to admit, I do prefer the vine-ripened tomatoes.

And I'm adding some red wine.

Often I'd be drinking a glass of red wine while I'm making this.

One for you, one for the sauce. One for you, for the food.

(LAUGHS) And some tomato paste.

So, that is looking really good.

Now I just want to make sure my heat is down low

so it's only just simmering.

Pop the lid on and I would cook that for 45 minutes at least,

maybe even an hour or longer if you do it in a long, slow oven,

depending on how much time you've got.

I haven't added the beans yet.

They're going to go in just at the last minute

because they're already cooked, so, I just want them to heat through.

And while that's cooking, you can get all your condiments ready.

Now... Oh! That is looking...

..sensational. I mean...

The smell, Jo, is gorgeous!

And it looks fantastic.

So, all I've done is added those black beans

and just let them heat through.

So, it's just, you know,

the last five minutes or so you need the beans in there.

So, we are ready. I'll switch that off.

We're ready to assemble our bowl.

So, I always start with the lovely...

I like these crunchy cos lettuce leaves into the side.

Now, Mike, you've already done some rice for me.

I have. These are so convenient.

A microwaveable brown rice.

I love using a wholegrain, of course. It's basmati.

Just plop some in there.

It's basmati, which is lower GI,

so, it's got less impact on your blood-glucose levels,

it's got all the fibre

as a brown whole grain rice.

I just absolutely love those for convenience.

They're so, so easy.

Put a nice,

generous dollop of our beef and black beans on the top.

Oh, how good does that look? It looks so inviting.

And then the way I would do this at home, actually,

is actually just to serve all these things in the middle

and let everyone compile

the way that they like it.

So, a nice dollop of yoghurt on the side.

Some...

All I did there with the avocado

was just some lime juice over the top,

and I left it nice and chunky.

Some grated cheese.

And then, you know... You know I love 'em.

You love 'em. You got the pickles in there,

the jalapenos in there and the pickled version on top.

Yeah, yeah. (LAUGHS)

You can tell I like a jalapeno.

A few little jalapenos on top.

And then that is...

Oh, I can't forget.

It's almost like a burrito bowl.

It is! Like, you know...

A deconstructed burrito.

Yeah! How's that?

I love it.

Beautiful.

Let's tuck in, Mike, shall we? Done!

Well, Mike, I think I have to let you do the honours.

I mean, this is, like, a regular meal for me.

(BOTH LAUGH)

It looks so appetising.

It's the sort of food that I'd love to eat

at the end of a busy day, Jo.

Oh, good. And do you know what?

The other thing, what I love about the little lettuce,

you can use that like a lettuce spoon.

Yeah.

Put your meat on onto the top of that. Eat it like a lettuce burrito.

Mmm.

Good? It's beautiful. Lots of flavour.

Like, really subtle, delicate textures.

Juicy. Great meal. Love it.

Yeah. Enjoy it.

I'm genuinely excited to share this recipe

'cause it is a firm family favourite for me.

Like, I love it.

It's such a hearty, filling dish,

but not just for those colder days -

any time of the year I love it.

And it's all in one pot, which is the way I like to cook.

I like this, it's kind of like a French version of...

You know, in Britain we had the old sausages with baked beans?

This is like the French just take it to a different level.

As usual. (LAUGHS) Absolutely, absolutely.

So, I'm gonna get you busy today, Jo.

I can tell.

If you can dice the onions. Dice?

Yeah. Quite small, please. As fine as you can get it.

And then same with the carrot,

chopped garlic, sliced chilli, seeds in.

I want the heat. You know, I want a little bit of punch in this.

Don't overfill your pan.

And, while it's sealing off, I'm gonna quickly knock up my stock

using these pre-made little chicken stocks, which are...

I always have some of them in the cupboard

because they're great when you don't have time to make your fresh stock.

They're beautiful, packed with the flavour.

And the new one, so, the new version...

I like the powders. They're great.

They're really good for adding, you know, a good bit of flavour,

but these jellified ones are even better,

so much more natural

and I think they give you a better, like, mouthfeel to the stock.

So, we're just gonna add that to some, ideally, boiling water.

I think they taste more...

..authentic, actually. Yeah.

They taste more natural. Absolutely. Yeah.

Just mix it in.

And, while that's mixing in, we're just gonna turn over our sausages.

Right, the sausage is gonna cook down later,

so, you just want to seal them just to give it that

colour and caramelisation

so that you get a better flavour in the sauce

and in the cassoulet.

So, what sort of sausages are you using?

I'm using a really good pork sausage.

You want something with quite a high fat content...

Yeah. ..just so that it handles

the longer cooking process

and they stay really nice and tender.

Like, I love...I love a sausage

which is just cooked, like, grilled

or pan-fried or whatever,

but a sausage which is braised, like, it's cooked in liquid,

I find absolutely delicious

because they just almost melt in your mouth.

So, at this stage we're just going to pop them out.

They're sealed enough.

And then it also means

you've got that little bit of extra sausage fat in there now,

which we're going to add our onion and carrots to.

That I have beautifully chopped and prepared for you. You have. Beautifully, Jo.

Thank you very much.

So, we get the onion in there first.

And then we're gonna add the carrot and the garlic,

and saute that down.

And the garlic.

Gonna add a little bit more olive oil.

Alright. That's cooking down really nice and quickly and caramelising.

So, I'm gonna add into this now

the chilli

and then the spices.

So, what spices are we using?

So, I'm using smoked paprika.

Yum.

Some cumin.

I'm not gonna use all of that cumin.

And some chilli flakes.

Like I said, I wanted a little bit of kick.

Like me, just throwing in various versions of chilli.

(LAUGHS)

It's about layering flavour.

Yeah. You know?

So, they've all got slightly different profiles.

The paprika's smoky.

The cumin, you know, you get that almost aromatic mild, sort of,

like what you associate with curry.

And then the chilli gives you that lift, that kick.

So, always cook out your spices just for one...at least a minute

just to release those aromats.

And now I'm just gonna pile that over there.

I'm old-school when it comes to tomato paste, OK?

I was always taught you brown it off first in the corner

to improve the flavour

and to get a better depth of colour in there.

You know, it will darken your sauce

if you cook out the tomato paste first.

And you can see it thickens up straightaway. OK?

So, that's a nice thickening agent for your sauce.

Improves the flavour.

I did not know that. Yeah.

Look at you teach me another little thing.

Can I tell you also?

When you combine that tomato paste with your extra-virgin olive oil,

you actually improve the absorption of the lycopene.

That's the antioxidant in that tomato paste.

Oh, wow. There you go.

This is a winning dish.

White wine.

White wine.

Because this is a French dish. (LAUGHS)

You want to deglaze your pan.

And you see the colour of that already.

That white wine just lifts...

All that sediment off the bottom of your pan is flavour.

You want all of that to come into your sauce.

It's why we add the white wine in.

We reduce it down just a touch.

Again, the pan I'm using, I'm using this wide pan

so I've got that contact area

so it improves the flavour and the speed of how things cook -

all helps make a delicious dish.

OK, at this stage

I'm gonna add our beans.

So, what have you got there? I've got some cannellini beans first.

One of my absolute favourites

are black-eyed peas or beans.

We call them black-eyed peas in the Caribbean.

And have you cooked those already? Just soaked.

They're just soaked. These are just soaked.

Soak them for at least an hour before using. Ideally overnight.

OK, at this stage I am gonna add my chopped tomatoes.

Alright, mix that through.

How long is this gonna take to cook

given that we've just got the soaked?

Probably about an hour.

OK.

And for that last, like, 10, 15 minutes of the cooking process,

take your lid off to reduce down your sauce

and get it all thick and rich and just delicious.

I'm gonna add the sausages back in at this stage.

I don't know about you, Jo, but it's making me hungry.

It really is. I don't know if I can wait an hour.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Yeah, and now we're just gonna cover that with our gorgeous stock.

Mmm. Ohh!

So, bring back to the boil, lid on, reduce to a simmer.

Forget about it for the next 45 minutes.

Look at that. Oh. Oh, yes!

It's beautiful. Beautiful.

And, for me, it's the simplicity of the process,

the simplicity of just that, you know,

comfort in a bowl.

It's everything you need for dinner right there.

You don't need to add anything else to it.

Of course, I'm going to because I'm a chef.

So, just some fresh parsley,

you know, scattered over that. I'm liking that too.

You know, some nice fresh green on top.

Honestly, I think that's a great family meal.

Oh, thank you, Jo!

You know, big praise. Big praise from me today.

Very rare does she gives me a thumbs up for, you know, my food.

(BOTH LAUGH)

No, I'm liking this. And you know I'm such a bean fan.

Yeah. It's great.

Mmm.

And you know what? Because you've cooked the beans in the sauce,

they do have that really nice texture.

Yeah. I think that's delicious.

Give it a try, guys.

My sausage cassoulet with beans and all the yummy stuff.

Enjoy.

You did well, Mike. Did well.

I don't have a big sweet tooth,

but, when it comes to desserts,

I do love a poached pear.

So, that's what we're going to do today.

Poached pears in a coffee syrup.

Alright, so, in our pot here

I've got four cups of water.

I'm going to turn the heat on

and we're going to make a coffee syrup

for our poached pears to swim in for 45 minutes

till they're nice and soft.

So, I'm just going to

get that on the heat.

And I'm going to add

some instant coffee.

So, this is four tablespoons of instant coffee.

That can go into the water.

Then we've got some gorgeous spices

that are going to flavour our coffee syrup as well.

So, we've got cinnamon, vanilla and some cloves as well.

With the vanilla pod, I just want to strip it down the middle

just to expose those beautiful vanilla beans inside.

And then that can just go in whole

along with the cinnamon and the cloves.

Then we've got these coffee sugar crystals.

These are really full-bodied

and they're gonna give a fantastic sweetness

to our pears.

So, they can all go in.

Alright. So, that's the basis for our syrup.

I'll just give that a little mix around.

We're gonna bring that to the simmer

before we add our pears to the liquid.

I've got some pears here -

look how gorgeous these are -

that we've just peeled and cored.

So, these are going to go in whole.

And we've just had them in some lemon water so they don't go brown.

These pears are gonna take

about 45 minutes or so

just on a light simmer

until they're nice and soft.

Then we're going to take them out

and we're going to reduce our syrup down

until it's nice and thick and luscious to spoon over the top.

And, then while they're cooking,

we're going to make a coffee biscuit crumb,

get the ice-cream out and we'll be ready to plate up.

So, first we need some butter.

About 70 grams or so.

I'm just gonna roughly say

that looks like 70 grams to me.

And that can go straight in.

Maybe a little bit more.

Then again we've got

some of those beautiful coffee sugar crystals.

They can go into the mixer as well.

And I'm just going to beat that till it's nice and light and fluffy.

OK, that's looking good.

Now I want to add the flour.

Alright.

And we've got some instant coffee again.

We've got that theme of coffee running through all our elements,

which is great.

You get your caffeine kick

and your sweet tooth pleasured as well.

(LAUGHS)

And we'll mix that around.

I've got one egg that I'm going to crack in now.

Crumbs looking good.

We've got a tray here.

Oven preset at 180 degrees.

Now, we're not making biscuits here, we're making a crumb,

so, let's get our mixture onto the tray

and just crumble that on.

You want big chunks

and little chunks.

And then we're going to cook this in the oven,

10, 12 minutes, 180,

till it's nice and golden and crunchy.

Alright, let's plate up. We've got all our elements ready to go.

Check out this gorgeous coffee syrup.

So, when the pears came out,

I just boiled that and reduced it

till it becomes nice and syrupy.

I love it.

The smell in here is just gorgeous. Those spices. The coffee.

On our bowl I want to start

with a good layer

of our coffee biscuit crumb.

Then we get one of our gorgeous poached pears.

I mean, look at the colour on that. I love it.

It's a bit impressive, the old poached pear.

On there.

Then let's get some of that amazing thick, luscious syrup.

If you let this cool down, it will thicken up even more,

but I cannot wait.

Just get a good drizzle of that

on our pear.

And then, last but not least, we've got to get some ice-cream on there.

So, again, keeping that coffee theme,

this is an espresso mocktini

with white chocolate ganache ice-cream.

That sounds good.

We'll get a good scoop of that.

Nice generous scoopage.

Onto our plate.

Oh, let's go double scoop. Why not?

So, there you go.

My poached pears in coffee syrup,

coffee biscuit crumb,

coffee ice-cream.

Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.

Yum, yum.

Captions by Red Bee Media