Finer Things Club: Cincinnati Chili

This is the first culinary edition to Finer Things, but it definitely qualifies. Aside from being delicious, this dish has an interesting history and its own culture. Now, I don't want to suggest that I am the first one to discover Cincinnati Chili, quite the opposite - it has been hugely popular for the last 50+ years; however, I'd never heard of it until a week ago (I stumbled on it while searching a definition for "allspice"). There are a lot of sites that will give you a better background, but briefly, this "chili" is made of finely ground hamburger cooked with spices (including chocolate and cinnamon), served over spaghetti noodles, and topped with a huge mound of shredded cheddar cheese.

The chili was made popular in Cincinnati by Greek-American restaurant owners in the early '50s, and restaurants today that serve it are still known as "Chili Parlors". There is a traditional code or convention used when ordering the chili, for example, a basic "3-way" means: spaghetti noodles, chili, and cheese.
The other variations are:
"4-way" - spaghetti noodles, chili, chopped onions, and cheese
"5-way" - spaghetti noodles, heated kidney beans, chili, chopped onions, and cheese
(In a chili parlor you can also order a "Coney" hot dog with mustard and onions topped with chili and cheese.)

The big name chili parlors appear to be: Empress, Skyline, and Gold Star; however there are numerous smaller restaurants all claiming to make the best Cincinnati Chili and all guarding their recipes. As a result it is very difficult to find a definitive "authentic recipe"; however, I found a good candidate and, guided by the input of others who have tried it, changed it slightly to try and make it more "proper".

When I came home from work today, Heather surprised me with my first bowl of 5-way Cincinnati Chili. After the first bite, I knew that we'd stumbled upon something special that is destined to become a family favorite. If you have never heard of this dish before, you are in for a treat (I can post a recipe if you want). And if you already knew about Cincinnati Chili... why the heck didn't you tell us about it sooner??

- C

EDIT: Here is the recipe that we use. It is supposed to taste just like Skyline's.

Cincinnati Chili

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 lbs ground beef
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 bay leaf
1 oz unsweetened chocolate (or 2 Tbsp unsweetened
-- cocoa powder)
2 cans (10.5 oz)beef broth
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Boil the raw beef and onions in the broth until it has cooked down into a pasty consistency. Break the meat or use a hand blender to chop it into tiny pieces.

2. Add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, chocolate, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and red pepper. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

3. It is the best if you refrigerate overnight.

4. Remove the bay leaf. Reheat gently over medium heat. Serve over hot, drained spaghetti. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Cooking Tip: Cincinnati chili parlors use the following conventions when ordering:

Three Way: Spaghetti topped with chili and grated cheddarcheese.
Four Way: Spaghetti topped with chili, chopped onions, and grated cheese.
Five Way: Heat favorite kidney or chili beans separately, add to
spaghetti topped with chili, onions, and grated cheese.
Coneys: Hot dog on bun with mustard topped with chili, chopped onion and grated cheese.


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Awesomeness Report

The double-post tonight is partially due to the fact that we haven't posted in a while, and partially due to a character flaw I have of goofing off whenever things get serious.

I would like to showcase a few things that I think you might enjoy.

1) Moto Guzzi V7 Classic



Though not a strong follower of Italian motorcycles - always connected better with the proletariat Honda marquee - I nonetheless am not blind to awesomeness wherever it be found. This motorcycle, along with a couple of Triumph's models (see: Bonneville, Thruxton, and Scrambler), fills what I feel is a major void in the market for a clean, classic, 1970's-styled standard motorcycle. As a bonus, it is a reasonably sized 750cc's - getting away from that American mindset that bigger must = better. Now I realize that Harley Davidson also builds retro bikes but I left them out of the list because, frankly, that's all they have been doing, and I for one am tired of looking at them. Besides, if a company was going to power a bike with an air cooled v-twin, what is the smarter way of doing it? Hiding one of the cylinders behind the other, so it never gets as much air as the front? Or, mount the engine transversely (sideways) so both cylinders receive an equal, unobstructed airflow, like Guzzi does? I think that this is hands down the prettiest motorcycle to be sold in many many years (it should be in showrooms soon).


2) Starwars: The Clone Wars DVD.



This movie is animated and I was worried that it was going to be another insult to the original trilogy. Now I admit, I'm not enough of an expert to comment on how true it stays to the spirit of the original films, but I can say that it is way more enjoyable than Episodes 1-3. The movie and music are really cool and the kids LOVED it. Every time they get to the chapter called "Vertical Assault" I have to stop what I'm doing (never very much) and crank the sound up to watch it with them. By the way, the reason that we rented the movie is because we have been playing Lego: Starwars on Nintendo. That is a great game!


3) Triscuit Rosemary and Olive Oil crackers with old/sharp cheddar cheese.



Not too much to say more on this subject. The perfect cheese and cracker combination - proof that not everything gets worse... some new stuff is better. My partner at work tipped me off to these crackers and I couldn't even guess how many boxes we've gone through since then. It won't be as good with mild or medium cheddar - but that's obvious, nothing is.

Please enjoy responsibly.


- C

Halloween stopped us in our tracks

I don't know what it is, but we have had a real hard time getting back to blogging since our last post. After a quick survey, it looks like some of our favorite blog authors are having the same problem - Tanis and Crystal are really dedicated though. I wonder if everyone is still sluggish from all the candy??

I kept asking Heather to post something and she just told me to do it. When I suggested that it was her turn, she reminded me that having a family blog was my idea and the issue always ended there. Some of you might be surprised at how headstrong Heather can be... often, my only recourse is relentless, numbing, persistence, and even that doesn't always work (although the other night I managed to get her to hum along to the opening song for Prison Break - something I usually do, but have been prompting her to join in over the last two seasons). Anyways, this won't be much of a post but, like I learned in journalism school: sometimes you just hafta put pen to paper.

One thing that I have been thinking about lately is the members of the Church in California. I am really proud of them for their commitment and sacrifice in standing up for our beliefs. I am also proud of how they are enduring persecution from those who believe that they are somehow in the wrong for exercising their democratic right according to the dictates of their conscience. I have been really impressed by the statements issued by the Church on this subject and think they serve as a great example of respect and tolerance. I believe the attention this issue has garnered will lead other's to investigate the Church and will help strengthen our own testimonies. President Brigham Young, having experienced with the Saints much bitter persecution, made the following statement that I often think of whenever I hear of the Church being attacked:

"Let us alone, and we will send Elders to the uttermost parts of the earth, and gather out Israel, wherever they are; and if you persecute us, we will do it the quicker, because we are naturally dull when let alone, and are disposed to take a little sleep, a little slumber, and a little rest. If you let us alone, we will do it a little more leisurely; but if you persecute us, we will sit up nights to preach the Gospel."

- C