Chocolate Chip Chili

Who knew that chocolate does a wonderful job at enhancing chili?!! This feeds a crowd, but can easily be cut in half or a third. The oven does all the work for you making it ideal for entertaining.

3 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fresh red chili, deseeded and minced
4 tbs. vegetable oil
seeds from 3 cardamom pods
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. dried chili flakes
10 chorizo sauasges, sliced
3 lbs. cubed beef
4 tbs. tomato paste
4 tbs. tomato ketchup
4 x 400g cans red kidney beans
3 x 400g chopped tomatoes
4 tbs. dark chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 300°F.

In an oven-proof casserole that has a lid, cook the onions, garlic and fresh chili in the oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cardamom pods, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and chili flakes for 1 minute. Add the chorizo and cook until their oils run, then stir in the beef.

Add the tomato paste, ketchup, beans and chopped tomatoes. Swirl out a tomato can with water and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and stir in the chocolate chips. Clamp on the lid and bake for 3 hours. Check along the way and add more water if needed.

Serves 12