If you’ve got enough Easter eggs to last you until Christmas, never fear – you can use your leftover chocolate eggs as a tasty addition to savoury dishes.
We get it, chocolate in pasta sauce, or drizzled over salads as a vinaigrette might sound plain wrong, but it can absolutely be a great addition to your favourite main meals.
In fact, chocolate as an ingredient can be used to balance out fiery or acidic flavours.
From chilli to steak, check out these chocolatey twists on savoury meals…
Try Mexico’s national dish Mole Poblano
While beans and chilli dishes are most associated with Mexico, the undisputed national dish is Mole Poblano.
Although the exact origins of this ancient dish remain unknown, one popular tale is that it was created by a nun in a Puebla convent – who had to create a dish in a rush from a few ingredients when an archbishop made a surprise visit.
Another story is that spices got mixed up and the strange sauce was accidentally created.
Today, there are many different versions of Mole, but the most authentic one uses chocolate. The sauce is drizzled over enchiladas or stews – usually at celebrations.
In Mexico, cooking with chocolate for savoury dishes is the norm. Chocolate is important to Mexican culture as the country boasts the perfect conditions for growing cacao beans.
Typically, authentic Mole Poblano uses bitter Mexican chocolate, but a dark chocolate Easter egg would work just fine.
The traditional recipes are also time-consuming – for something quicker, throw coriander, aniseed, chilli powder, cumin, cinnamon, sugar, and cloves into a pot, before adding water, tomatoes, garlic paste, salt, peanut butter and the chocolate. Simmer for 20 minutes, before blending it all together.
Drizzle over your salad
Who said salads can’t be sweet and savoury?
If munching on chocolate over the weekend has left you craving some vegetables, this strawberry salad could be a hit.
It’s simple: the salad calls for rocket, cucumber, strawberries and Stilton, and drizzle some melted chocolate on top.
Level up your favourite chilli
Chocolate and chilli make a delicious pairing, and the simplest way to use up chocolate is to add it to chilli.
Make your favourite chilli recipe at normal, and when your sauce is simmering away, break up a few pieces and add it to the pot.
Stir until it melts, and you’ll add a depth of flavour that will have people asking for seconds.
Try this vegan recipe for something tasty and nutritional without skimping on protein.
For the dressing, place balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and dissolve over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in around 25 grams of chocolate. If you’re using dark, you’ll want to add a little caster sugar to the vinegar.
The experts over at Sweet Wholesaler also recommend melting a handful of chopped chocolate and whisking together with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper with a squeeze of honey.
This would work best with a salad topped with grape and brie.
Pour over your steak
All you need for this recipe is to mix onion with red wine, water, beef stock, one bay leaf a couple of sprigs of thyme. Throw in some chopped chocolate, wait for it to melt and serve.
Don’t eat meat? Simply swap out the steak for a soya alternative that will have a smoky flavour.
A twist on the classic Mariana sauce
From Mexico to Italy: another option for your leftover chocolate is adding it to a Mariana sauce and serving with pasta.
The chocolate balances out the acidity of the tomatoes to make it extra special.
If you have the following ingredients you can make this recipe work – minced garlic, a tin of tomatoes, roughly chopped fresh basil leaves, around 30 grams of dark chocolate, and red pepper flakes, oregano and salt to taste.
Pair white chocolate with rosemary
But what if you only have white chocolate left? Fear not, this savoury sauce pairs rosemary with white chocolate. Serve it over salmon and chopped pine nuts for a truly decadent experience.
For the sauce, you’ll need white wine this time, preferably dry. Melt some butter in a pan with white chocolate, and add a squeeze of lemon, garlic, apple cider vinegar and rosemary.
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