"Cincinnati Chili"

Chili served on pasta?

That's how they do it in Cincinnati. And if the plate above were served in Cincinnati, it would probably be covered with a mound of cheddar cheese, onions kidney beans and oyster crackers. But I like mine plain.

There are 180 chili joints in Cincinnati. Chili there differs from its Texas counterpart in a couple of ways. It has a thinner consistency and it's seasoned differently, with things like cinnamon, cloves, sometimes even cocoa (my recipe doesn't call for that).

I've had better luck getting kids to eat this variety of chili than the standard kind. And it's super simple to make. Brown...dump...stir...simmer. That's it.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound lean ground pork

3 Tablespoons olive oil

4 cups water

2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

1-2 cups chopped onion (I use 1)

1 cup chopped celery

1-2 Tablespoons chili powder (I use 1 but I am a spice lightweight)

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 bay leaves

2-4 cloves garlic, finely minced (I go light on the garlic but, again, I'm a total lightweight)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 pound thin spaghetti

Toppings:
2 cups kidney beans
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups cheddar cheese
oyster crackers

Preparation:

1. Saute onion and celery in olive oil until tender
2. Brown beef and pork, chopping well. Drain grease.
3. In deep kettle, combine all the chili ingredients except the spaghetti. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 1 to 2 hours, uncovered until the chili is as thick as you like.
Serve in large flat soup bowls, ladled over spaghetti.
Top with beans, onions, shredded cheese and/or crushed oyster crackers.

In Cincinnati, chili lovers order their chili by numbers depending on their topping selections:

Two-Way Chili: Chili on spaghetti
Three-Way Chili: Topped with cheese
Four-Way Chili: Topped with cheese and onions
Five-Way Chili: Topped with cheese, onions, and beans.

I'm not sure where the crackers fit in to all of that. I'm a Two-Way gal, all the way.