The Ma Family

People have been asking for some of my recipes, so I figured I’d start posting them.

Last night, I made Cincinnati Chili for the first time in a while. If you’re ever at a Cincinnati chili parlor, then you know you can order your chili one of three ways:

• 3-way Chili: Chili served over spaghetti, topped with shredded Cheddar cheese.
• 4-way Chili: Chili served over spaghetti, topped with shredded Cheddar cheese and chopped onions.
• 5-way Chili: Chili served over spaghetti, topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped onions, and kidney beans.

I personally would prefer 4-way chili, but Diane doesn’t like raw onions. So I improvised and put onions into the chili itself to cook them, thus the name 3½-way chili

Ingredients:

• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef (I like to use 85% lean)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1 15-oz can of tomato sauce
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 lb spaghetti (I used whole wheat pasta)
• shredded cheddar cheese

Over medium-high heat, saute ground beef, onion, garlic, and chili powder for a few minutes until ground beef is slightly cooked. Add tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and cocoa powder. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 1 to 1½ hours.

Cook spaghetti according to the package’s directions. Transfer spaghetti to serving plates, ladle on the chili, and top with an abundant amount of cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Posted in Food | Trackback | Leave a comment »
Tags: Food