I think this is one of the best things that can be made with chocolate, a beautiful harmony of tomato, lime, spices, chilli and chocolate. This was inspired by Rick Stein's Road to Mexico series, and gets a mention in episode 5 of the Foodcast. I do this regularly with pulled pork, and it's a staple in our house for adding to tomato based stews to get some extra depth.
Anco and chiptole chillis can be pricey, so substitute with dried kashmiri chillis which are much more affordable.
Ingredients
1 dried ancho chilli (or 2 kashmiri chillis)
1 dried chipotle chilli (or 2 kashmiri chillis)
4 large tomatoes
juice of 2 limes
50g dark chocolate
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
100g tomato sauce
Method
Toast your chillis in a frying pan over a low heat for 5 minutes, heat them but don't let them burn, turning over after 3 minutes.
To peel the tomatoes, boil a kettle and score each tomato twice with an cross shape on opposite sides of the tomato. Place the tomatoes on one mixing bowl, and fill a second mixing bowl with cold water, icy water works best. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and leave for 1 minute, and then transfer the tomatoes into the icy water. Leave for 30 seconds and then begin to peel the skins away from the tomatoes - they should come away fairly easily having been rapidly expanded and contracted.
De-seed the tomatoes, and add the flesh to a blender. Add in the chillis, lime juice, sugar, and spices. Blend until everything is well combined and smooth.
Empty the paste from the blender into a small sauce pan and add the tomato sauce. If you want a thinner sauce add a little more tomato sauce. Cook on a medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop up your chocolate with a bread knife. Take the pan off the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until combined.
Voila!
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