Nigella's Choc Chip Chili

Nigella’s Choc Chip Chili
From Nigella Christmas

Hands-on time: 15-20 minutes
Total Baking time: 3 hours or so (Nigella likes it best the next day)
Serves 12 (freezes well)
Be warned: it is pretty spicy! So spicy in fact, I had to serve it over couscous to absorb some of the heat.

Ingredients:
550g/1lb chorizo sausage (not the salami kind) (usually 10 sausages)
3.5lb/1.5kg boneless shin of beef, cut into 1.5” cubes
1 lb/ 500g onions peeled (about 3 medium)
3 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 fresh red chili, deseeded
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Seeds from 3 cardamom pods
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried crushed chilies (I only used ½ tsp and it was still very spicy for us)
4 tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
4 cans 14oz/400g red kidney beans, drained (I actually only used 2 – no room in the pot)
3 cans 14oz/400g chopped tomatoes
¼ cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup water (I didn’t find I needed it as the sauce was thin enough without it)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C.

2. Finely chop or process the onion, garlic & chili

3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy oven proof pan with a lid and sauté the onion, garlic and chili paste until soft over low heat (about 10 minutes). Add the cardamom seeds, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and dried chilies. (Ruth’s note: I really would start with less than you think you’ll need. Remember that the chorizo is very spicy all by itself).

4. Stir the oniony spiced mixture together and then add the chorizo sliced into ½” coins, “letting them ooze their paprika orange oil” I do love how Nigella writes.

5. Drop in the cubes of beef, turning them in the pan with the chorizo and onion mix to brown the meat.

6. Stir in the tomato puree, ketchup, drained kidney beans and chopped tomatoes. Ruth’s note: Nigella adds water at this point, but I’d hold off until later if you really need to). Bring to a boil. Once it boils, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the chili, stir and then cover and bake at low heat for 3 hours.

Nigella’s advice: It’s best left overnight in the fridge to improve the flavors. To heat the next day, tip into a large ovenproof casserole or pan, bring it SLOWLY to a boil on top of the stove and transfer to the oven at 300°F/150°C for an hour.