Jul12011

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili

A few months ago, several cooking shows aired a bunch of episodes focusing on Cincinnati Chili. I’d never had it, and since I’m not traveling to any of the featured locations anytime soon I figured I’d better find out how to make it myself.

I love chili and was intrigued by the addition of not only putting it on top of spaghetti, but topping it with cheese, onions and even kidney beans. A whole bunch of my favorites, all in one bowl.

Using several different recipes I found online, I’ve been able to tweak it to just the way we like it. The originals all called for allspice, cloves and a lot more cinnamon, but we found that we just weren’t crazy about the combo (heresy, I’m sure). If you want to try those yourself, just add about 1 tsp each.

This is also very good served over roasted spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti, which tastes just as delicious and cuts out a bunch of carbs. (I needed two squashes for the five of us.)

Cincinnati Chili

2 lbs ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups beef broth

3 T chili powder
dash cinnamon
dash cayenne (optional)
1 T paprika
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 bouillon cubes
1 15 oz tomato sauce
1 T red wine vinegar

Brown the meat, onions and garlic in a pot for about five minutes, then add the beef broth and continue cooking until beef is browned and broken up. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer uncovered for one hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt if needed.

Two-way chili: serve on top of spaghetti
Three-way chili: serve on top of spaghetti with shredded cheddar cheese
Four-way chili: serve on top of spaghetti with cheese and chopped onions
Five-way chili: serve on top of spaghetti with cheese, onions, and kidney beans