Turkey and black-eyed bean chilli with cheese-stuffed patacones

Method

1. Put the stock, ½ roughly chopped onion, chipotle and scotch bonnet in a blender and whizz until smooth.
2. Heat 6 tbsp of the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan over a high heat until just starting to smoke. Carefully add the turkey mince and fry for 10-15 minutes until heavily browned, breaking up the lumps. At first the mince will release a lot of water but don’t worry – it will boil off and then start to fry. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan regularly. Remove the mince from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Add the remaining olive oil to the same pan and reduce the heat to medium-high.Add the finely chopped onions, celery and pepper and fry until light brown (about 6-8 minutes). Add the garlic and fry for another 3 minutes, then return the turkey mince to the pan with the bay leaf, smoked paprika, cayenne and cumin and cook for a minute, stirring frequently. Add the blended stock mixture and the sundried tomato paste, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping round the sides of the pan to incorporate all that flavour. If it gets a bit too thick add a splash of water.
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4. While the chilli is simmering away, make the patacones. Add the chillies, mozzarella, taleggio, oregano, coriander and salt to a food processor and whizz until everything is finely chopped and combined into a very coarse paste.
5. Pour enough vegetable oil into a small saucepan to fill it around 4cm deep and put over a medium heat. Top and tail the plantain, then cut each one into 6 pieces (around 4cm thick). Cut a slit into the skin and peel each piece. Working in batches, fry the plantain for 2-3 minutes in the hot oil until soft, then set aside on a plate. While still warm, flatten and squish each piece of plantain into a thinner disc using the bottom of a small saucepan. Re-fry the flattened plantains for 1½ minutes, then drain on kitchen paper. Once cool, sandwich together pairs of plantain slices with a generous tablespoon of the cheese mixture to create 18 small patacones. Set aside.
6. Once the chilli has been simmering for 45 minutes, add the beans, miso, a generous pinch of black pepper and stir. Simmer for 20 minutes, tasting regularly, until the beans no longer feel powdery in your mouth (some brands will take longer). Taste for salt and add a bit more if needed. Add the chocolate, stir well, turn off the heat and cover while you cook the patacones.
7. Heat a large, dry frying pan over a medium-high heat. In batches, fry the patacones for 2 minutes on each side to crisp up and melt the cheese within. Serve alongside the chilli.