cincinnati chili #1

SERVES A SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD IF YOU USE THE PASTA AND CONDIMENTS. FOR YOUR FAMILY IT WILL SERVE 8-10 PERSONS.

This is certainly an interesting dish, though a bit unusual. The story goes that a young chef from Macedonia arrived in Cincinnati and opened a chili stand. He added additional spices, as per his background, and Cincinnati chili was born. Note that this recipe calls for some sweet spices such as cinnamon and allspice, and cocoa. Some recipes also call for nutmeg.

The method of serving is a bit unusual, too. The chili is normally not made with beans. So, when you order Cincinnati chili you get a bowl of meat and spices. When you order it "two way," the sauce comes on a pile of spaghetti. When you order it "three way," you get spaghetti topped with chili and grated Cheddar cheese. A "four way" adds chopped yellow onions and a "five way" adds the fifth ingredient, beans. You can have great fun with this and I expect that your children will think up some additional "ways" of serving this delicious dish.

Heat a 12-quart heavy stockpot and add the oil. Saut‚ the pork, hamburger, onions, garlic, cumin seeds, chili powder, and bay leaves until the meat is barely browned and the onions clear. Drain the fat and discard.

Add the remaining ingredients, including the beans, and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 1-½ hours or until the beans are very tender.

You may need to add water to this dish as it cooks.

Now, you must decide if you are to have it one, two, three, four, or five way. You might even think up a sixth way! The additional condiments that you might wish are cooked spaghetti, grated Cheddar cheese, and chopped yellow onions.

INCLUDES OVERNIGHT SOAK OF BEANS From . Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, .