Cincinnati Chili, Really?

Once again, I’m joining Lisa at Blessed With Grace for her Tempt My Tummy Tuesday carnival. I hope y’all enjoy!

I am a native Texan, born and bred from parents who are native Texans, who both were born and bred from parents who were native Texans, who were born and bred etc., etc., etc…   All of whom know that chili is bite sized meat stewed with a nearly equal amount of chilies, onions and spices, and absolutely NO beans – served in a bowl preferably with a side of Frito’s.

Then I went and married a Yankee.   This Yankee has taught me so many things, but when he told me about people who  served thier  chili  over pasta on a plate, I thought he was kidding me.   He finally proved it to me sometime around 2002, when he took me to a new-to-Texas chain called Steak n Shake, and ordered Chili Mac.   I thought it was nuts, until I tried it..

One of my favorite cooking shows recently had a  recipe  for something similar to Chili Mac. It was called Cincinnati Chili. Let me tell you, Confederate gals, some of these Yankees know what they’re doing.   I’m not giving up my Southern ways, but I  promise this is worthy of Tempt  My Tummy.  Enjoy!

Cincinnati Chili (from Cooks Country TV)

Use canned tomato sauce for this recipe—do not use jarred spaghetti sauce.
Serves 6 to 8.    

Ingredients

1	tablespoon vegetable oil
2	onions , chopped fine
1	clove garlic , minced
2	tablespoons tomato paste
2	tablespoons chili powder
1	tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2	teaspoons ground cinnamon
	Salt
3/4	teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4	teaspoon allspice
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
2	cups tomato sauce
2	tablespoons cider vinegar
2	teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2	pounds 85 percent lean ground beef

Instructions

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until soft and browned around edges, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and allspice and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth, tomato sauce, vinegar, and sugar.

2. Add beef and stir to break up meat. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chili is deep brown and slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and serve. (Chili can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)

There are several options to serve Cincinnati Chili.   Here they are:

2-way: Served over spaghetti.

3-way: Served over spaghetti, and topped with cheese.

4-way: Served over spaghetti, and topped with onions and cheese.

5-way: Served over spaghetti, and topped with beans and onions and cheese..

My tweaks, tips, and notes:

1) I believe it is absolutely necessary to add ground cumin to any recipe with the word “chili” in the title.   I think it’s a law somewhere.   I add about 1 teaspoon to this recipe.

2) I use  bouillon with my hot water pot instead of canned broth.

3) Tip from the show: use a potato masher to break the meat up into small pieces.

4) This makes quite a bit of chili. I’d say it makes even more than the 6 to 8 servings it claims. For our family of 4, we can eat  3 meals from this recipe.
This is another perfect recipe  for cold winter weather. It’s also pretty inexpensive, and so very yummy.

PS: For my other Tempt My Tummy recipes, click here.