Post #475216 by CincyTikiCraig on Thu, Aug 6, 2009 8:06 PM

Ok, waaaay off topic, but I thought that I would post the recipe for Cincinnati Chili here in case any other fans would like it. Now the concept of chili served on a bed of spaghetti sounds foriegn to non-Cincinnatians, but that's how we eat it here. Our chili is very different than traditional Texas style chili. The recipe was developed in the early 20th century by several Greek immigrants who settled in Cincinnati and adapted a traditional Greek stew to attract non-Greek customers. If it helps, think of the chili as a pasta sauce-I think that it's a better definition of the dish.

Cincinnati Chili Recipe

1 large onion chopped
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red (cayenne) pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 ounce grated unsweetened chocolate
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 (16-ounce) package uncooked dried spaghetti pasta
Toppings (see below)

Put the ground beef in food processor and briefly pulse to produce an extra fine grind to the beef, or have your butcher grind extra fine for you. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, saute onion, ground beef, garlic, and chili powder until ground beef is slightly cooked. Add allspice, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, unsweetened chocolate, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, and water. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions and transfer onto individual serving plates (small oval plates are traditional).

Ladle chili over spaghetti and serve with toppings of your choice. Oyster crackers are served in a separate container on the side.

Toppings:
Oyster Crackers
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Chopped Onion
Kidney Beans (16-ounce) can

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

In Cincinnati we order our chili 'by the number', Two, Three, Four, or Five Way:

Two-Way Chili: Chili served on spaghetti.

Three-Way Chili: Additionally topped with shredded colby cheddar cheese (nobody eats 2-ways here. The 3-way is the really basic way to eat the chili.)

Four-Way Chili: Additionally topped with chopped onions OR kidney beans under the cheese and over the chili.

Five-Way Chili:Additionally topped with kidney beans AND onions under the cheese and over the chili.

The other way to have Cincinnati Chili is a Cheese Coney, which is a hot dog topped with the chili, a squirt of yellow mustard, chopped onions (optional) and shredded colby cheddar cheese. I usually have a 4-way bean and a coney on the side.

Now I'm hungry......