Cincinnati Chili
Description:
Cincinnati chili, also known as “skyline chili” is a regional dish specific to its namesake city. The dish of chili has its origins in Texas, and after the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, chili parlors began to emerge throughout the United States. Cincinnati chili first emerged when two Macedonian brothers, Tom and John Kiradjieff, immigrated to Cincinnati and opened the Empress Chili Parlor in 1922. The original menu of this establishment offered chili dogs and chili spaghetti, which were familiar dishes at the time. This dish took on a unique style through its use of spices that are typical to Balkan cuisine, such as cloves, cinnamon and allspice. Hence, chili spaghetti was transformed into Cincinnati chili, and has remained a regional favorite ever since. The recipe below was adapted from one that I found through Serious Eats - one thing that I learned from reading that recipe is that contrary to popular myth, traditional Cincinnati Chili does not contain any chocolate.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, diced fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper
Dried spaghetti
Grated cheddar cheese
Chopped onion
Preparation:
In a pot, add the ground beef along with 2 cups of water. Heat over high and break up meat with a spoon until it is all broken up. Then add the onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika, cinnamon, allspice, oregano, bay leaf, cloves, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar, along with an additional 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Season to taste with salt & pepper - the final result should be a thick sauce.
Cook spaghetti per the package directions. Plate spaghetti, then top with a ladle of the chili, chopped onion and shredded cheese.
Notes:
Some versions of this dish contain kidney beans and are topped with oyster crackers.