Cincinnati chili may be my single favorite comfort food.
It's rich, filling, easy, and is so, so good when it's cold outside. Or I just
want to eat myself stupid. Or it's a day that ends in a 'Y'. Whatever.
So, you may be asking, what the fuck is Cincinnati
chili? Well, my pretty, you asked the right Wikipedia user! Invented in 1922,
Cincinnati chili is different from Tex-Mex chili because it includes such
additions as cinnamon, unsweetened chocolate (or cocoa powder), and allspice.
This chili is also typically less spicy, usually topped with tons of
cheddar, and is served over spaghetti. This dish was the creation of Macedonian
immigrants whose restaurant in Cincinnati was doing poorly because the mostly
Germanic population wasn’t particularly excited to eat Greek-style food. So, in
an attempt to try something new, the restaurant owner, Tom Kiradjieff,tried
to modify a traditional Middle Eastern stew with ingredients more suited to the
American palate. His “spaghetti chili” was born and has been wildly popular in
Ohio ever since.
Prep time: 2-3 cocktails
2 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans beans (black, pinto, or red), drained
1 28-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
1/3 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein--available at any
natural grocer)
1 cup water
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP white vinegar
1.5 tsp salt
1 TBSP sugar
1.5 TBSP cocoa powder (unsweetened)
A few dashes cayenne
1 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
4 bay leaves
8 ounces dry spaghetti
1 scant cup additional onion, chopped (optional)
Cheddar cheese, grated (as much or little as you want)
In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium
high heat. When hot, add the large onion and garlic. Sauté, stirring
frequently, until the onion becomes a bit transparent—about 5 minutes. Add all
remaining ingredients EXCPET the last three (cheese, optional diced onion, and
spaghetti). Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce to a simmer and
cover. Simmer for at least 90 minutes, removing the lid periodically and
stirring. This dish should have the consistency somewhere between regular chili
and marinara sauce, so add more water as you go, if necessary.
When the chili is about 15 minutes from completion, prepare
the spaghetti.
To serve, put the spaghetti on a plate, top with a generous
amount of chili, then a big pinch from the additional scant cup of onions (if
using), and finish with cheddar cheese. In Cincinnati, they top it with
prodigious amounts of cheese—as much as the plate will hold. That might be
excessive for some (myself included), so a medium-sized handful may be preferable.
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