Mexican Chicken Chilli with Yellow Tomato Salsa

I have to admit they probably won't have heard of this in Mexico, but I've so named it because it's a dish based on a couple of Mexican themes: firstly, there are the delightful pinto beans, and secondly, the cheese is melted into the sauce. Anyway, Mexican or not, it's a great recipe.

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This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Three and The Delia Collection: Chicken.

Method

Start by stripping the coriander leaves into a small bowl, then cover it with clingfilm and pop it into the fridge. Now chop the coriander stalks very finely. Next, heat the oil in the casserole and, over a gentle heat, cook the onions, garlic, chillies and coriander stalks for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice until softened.

Meanwhile, grind the roasted cumin seeds to a powder in a pestle and mortar, then add them, along with the drained beans, to the casserole and stir. Now sprinkle in the flour and give it another good stir. Next, gradually add the stock, followed by the Tabasco sauce and a little salt, bring everything to a simmer and cook, covered, on the lowest heat possible for 1¼-1½ hours, until the beans are tender.

In the meantime, make the salsa. Simply combine half the reserved coriander leaves and the rest of the salsa ingredients and add seasoning. Mix well, then cover and leave aside to allow the flavours to develop.

When the chilli has had its initial cooking time, deseed the pepper and cut it into ½ inch (1 cm) pieces. Then stir the chicken and pepper into the casserole, season well with salt and freshly milled black pepper, cover, and simmer for a further 30 minutes.

In the meantime, mix the Mozzarella with the cream, then, when the 30 minutes are up, add it to the casserole. Simmer gently, uncovered, for a further 20-25 minutes, stirring now and again, by which time the cheese should have melted and formed a smooth sauce.

Finally, stir in the lime juice and the remaining coriander leaves.

Serve with a little rice and a green vegetable, such as runner beans, and hand the salsa round separately.