Cincinnati 5-Way Chili Pt.1

5-Way Chili Pt.

Categories: Beef, Main dish, Tex-mex, Pasta, Chili

Yield: 4 servings

--PART ONE--

1 lb Chuck,twice ground finely

2 x Onions, minced

2 x Cloves garlic, minced

1 c Tomato sauce

2 tb Catsup

1 c Water

1 tb Red wine vinegar

1 tb Chili powder

1 tb Paprika

1 ts Pepper

1 ts Honey

1/2 oz Unsweetened chocolate,grated

1/2 ts EA: ground cumin, tumeric

1/2 ts EA: marjoram, allspice

1/2 ts Cinnamon

1/4 ts EA: nutmeg, ground cloves

1/4 ts EA: mace, ground coriander

1/4 ts Ground cardamom

1/2 x Bay leaf, crumbled

1 ts Salt

--PART TWO--

8 oz Thick spaghetti

16 oz Can red kidney beans

2 x Onions, chpd

1 lb Wisconsin cheddar,fine grate

**Excerpt from "Square Meals": "No one who loves to

eat can visit Cincinnati without falling in love with

the most eccentric and delicious noodle dish of

all--5-Way Chili. Invented by Greek immigrants in the

1920s, it is unique to southern Ohio, and served only

in chili parlors, most of which are

fluorescent-lighted luncheonettes that haven't changed

much since 1950. Nobody in Cincinnati gives out their

recipe. It is a dish of startling complexity, so

dizzingly spicy..." THIS IS A 2 PART RECIPE. Salt a

large cast iron skillet. Turn heat to med and add

meat, onions, and garlic. Cook until meat is browned.

Add tomato sauce, catsup, water, and vinegar. As

mixture begins to boil, add everything else. Adjust

spices to taste, adding more salt if it needs perking

up, turmeric and cumin for a sweatier chili flavor,

cinnamon, cloves, and mace if you want it sweeter,

cardamom for more bang, unsweetened chocolate for body. Cover and simmer at very low heat for about 1

hr, stirring and tasting occasionally, adding tomato

juice if it is getting too dry to ladle up easily.

The bottom layer is always spaghetti, the thickest you

can find. If you have trouble, try using long, thin

macaroni like perciatelli. Break into 4 pieces, boil

in salted water to which oil has been added. For a

touch o swank, melt a stick of sweet butter into the

just-cooked noodles before you dish them out. You will

need about 2-3oz per serving. You want them soft

enough to cut easily with a fork, but not so soft they

lose their oomph. Remember, they are the support layer

for four other ingredients. Spread them out to cover

the bottom of a small oval plate. Ladle on the chili,

enough to cover the noodles. Wash kidney beans and heat with 2c water, then drain. Spoon a sparce layer

atop the chili. Spread onions over beans. Quickly (so

it melts) spread cheese to cover everything. Don't

skimp. Cheese should completely blanket the plate,

enough so that you can pat it into a neat mound with

your hands, just the way they do in Cincinnati.

3-Way or 4-Way: Omit either beans or onions, or both. --