You aren't going to believe what's in this chili...

but its going to be delicious, I swear!

OK, so I was scouring the internet looking for recipes to utilize the left over Christmas ham we have. We had already had just straight left overs for lunch, I've got plans for ham, egg and cheese biscuits in the morning. So what to do for dinner? A Google search landed me on a recipe which, I'll admit, repulsed me at first. Top two ingredients: left over ham and peanut butter. Peanut butter?! Yuck. What? Really? ... so I kept reading. Mango Chutney?! Yuck. Ew. Green Chilis? With all that stuff? That's got to be a disaster...

So I read the reviews, since the recipe was rated 4.5 outta 5 stars. And people did nothing but sing praises for this concoction. Then I decided I must try it for myself, made a quick trip to the store to pick up the chili beans and some apricot jam (I couldn't find any mango chutney and several reviews posted it as a good substitute) and I went to work creating this 20 minute chili in my new dutch oven. (Oh yes, my mom knows how to treat me. Heavy, large, solid cast iron. Delightful!)

I can hear it. I've lost you. You're reading this, thinking to yourself, there's absolutely no way she did that. But you'd be mistaken, my dear friend. I did it. And I'll tell you this, its on my do it again list. Mhm. You heard me.

Now read on and get your own post.holiday.ham adventure going!

Casablanca Chili

If you look through the recipe linked, you'll see I've made a few changes. I added a whole yellow onion, a teaspoon of garlic salt and a teaspoon or so (I just eyeballed it) of ground cumin. I used 1 less can of diced tomatoes and 1 whole small can of green chilis. I left out the raisins. ... I really just don't think raisins belong in savory dishes. I've yet to come across a dish where the raisins were vital. And because I had a brown sugar glazed ham, I left out the extra brown sugar too.


3 cups cooked ham, cut into one inch cubes
1 yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
5 oz apricot jam/preserves

1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce (I used Bushes Chili Beans in a medium sauce, it was the right amount of spicy for us.)
1 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes 

1 small can green chilis

Step 1.
After chopping your onion and cubing your ham, throw the onion in a large sauce pan or dutch oven with the butter and saute for a minute or two. 

Step 2.

Toss in the cumin and all spice, continue stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Step 3. 

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over low-medium for about 20 minutes, or until well combined and bubbly. 

Serve with some crusty bread, pitas or over rice. We had it over rice. 

In the end the chili has a distinct flavor and aroma. Its just barely nutty, perfectly spiced and just the right amount of sweetness. The ham is soft and savory, the chickpeas are creamy and offer a texture variation I enjoyed. Now, sit back, relax and let the accomplishment and warmth wash over you as you enjoy this amazingly simple and innovative chili. ;)