International Chocolate Day: Alternative chocolate recipes from lunchtime to dinner

If you thought chocolate was only a post-dinner treat, think again. It can be a delicious midday snack or even used subtly in a hearty stew

Based on the core ingredient of a chocolate bar, The Kitchen Shelf offers unusual recipes such as chunky beef chili with rice

The Kitchen Shelf cookbook authors, Eve O'Sullivan and Rosie Reynolds, have made home cooking as easy and as wasteless as possible, by creating simple recipes based on one store cupboard ingredients that everyone – even the ready-meal lovers among us – have lurking in our kitchen cupboards, from a tin of tomatoes to a bag of pasta. These are some of our favourite recipes which use the core ingredient of a bar of chocolate.

Chunky Beef Chili with Rice

Serves 4–6
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 2.5 hours

From the store
stewing steak
cilantro (coriander)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1lb 2oz/500g stewing steak, cut into
large cubes
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, bashed
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 x 14oz/400g can chopped tomatoes
1 x 14oz/400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bouillon (stock) cube
1 bunch cilantro (coriander), stems and leaves chopped
2.75oz/75g bittersweet (dark) chocolate, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly cooked rice, to serve

Tip: This is a nigh-on perfect freezer dinner. You’ll be grateful for it on a depressing and rainy Monday night or a hungover Sunday.

We are using our trusty can of chickpeas in our chili recipe. If, however, you are a traditionalist grab yourself a 14oz/400g can of kidney beans and add these into the mix instead. Heat half the oil in a Dutch oven (casserole dish) or large highsided skillet (frying pan) with a lid, add the steak, and cook over medium heat for 5–10 minutes until the steak is browned all over – you may have to do this in batches. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the skillet, then add the onions and cook for five minutes, or until soft and starting to take on some colour. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, chili flakes, and cinnamon and fry for another one minute. Return the chunks of steak along with any resting juices to the skillet. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, then put the bouillon (stock) cube into the empty tomato can and fill to the top with boiling water, stir to dissolve the bouillon cube, and add this to the skillet along with the cilantro (coriander) stems.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for two hours, or until the beef is really tender – if the chili looks like it is drying out add a splash of water. When the cooking time is up, uncover and stir in the chocolate. Add plenty of seasoning and cook for another five minutes, or until the sauce is thick and the chocolate has melted. Serve the chili sprinkled with cilantro and freshly cooked rice.

Olive oil and sea salt chocolate toasties

This is a riff on a classic spanish dessert, where chocolate ganache is souped up with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. It makes for a pretty decent snack and even better breakfast. Just eat an apple afterwards if you feel guilty.

Serves 2
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 5 minutes

From the store
Good-quality crusty bread or white sourdough

Ingredients
2.75oz/75g milk or bittersweet (dark) chocolate, broken into squares
4 slices good-quality crusty bread or white sourdough
Salt, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons olive oil

Divide the chocolate pieces between two slices of bread, sprinkle with salt, then sandwich with the remaining two slices of bread. Put a skillet (frying pan) big enough to fit both sandwiches over medium heat, then brush the top of the sandwiches liberally with olive oil. Put the sandwiches, in the pan, oil-side down, and fry for about 2–3 minutes until golden. Brush the unoiled bread with oil then flip the sandwich over. And fry again for another two minutes, or until the chocolate is oozing, then serve immediately.

Tip: Try serving this with fresh orange segments on the side.

Chocolate Ganache (Basic Recipe)

Serves 6
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 5 minutes

From the store
heavy (double) cream
7oz/200g bittersweet (dark) chocolate, finely chopped
1.25 cups (10 floz/300ml) heavy (double) cream

This simple chocolate sauce is honestly the most foolproof recipe ever, so be bold and turn it into one of the following more show-off desserts. Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl, then heat the cream in a small pan over low heat until almost boiling, and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for about two minutes, then stir until smooth.

Rosemary Chocolate Pots

From the store
heavy (double) cream
rosemary
1 chocolate ganache (basic recipe)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary

Follow the basic recipe for chocolate ganache, adding the rosemary (reserving about one teaspoon to serve) to the cream before heating. Pour the rosemary cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for about two minutes, then stir until smooth. Pour the ganache into six small glasses, tea cups, or ramekins, then chill for 20 minutes until set. Top the chilled pots with the reserved rosemary and serve.

The Kitchen Shelf, by Eve O'Sullivan and Rosie Reynolds. Phaidon, £24.95​