Time to Chow Down and Chili Up!Here is the most comprehensive guide ever to making and enjoying America's favorite meal in a bowl.From California's Gilroy Super Garlic Chili and Florida's Havana Moon Chili to Wisconsin's Green Bay Chili and New Hampshire's Yankee Bean Pot Chili, Chili Nation features chili recipes from all fifty states.
Cincinnati is a city bewitched by chili; there are at least a hundred joints in town that make a specialty of serving it. And we do mean joints, for chili, Cincinnati-style, tends to be one rude plate of food, best eaten off a Formica counter under humming fluorescent lights after midnight in the company of other devout chileheads.
Bearing no resemblance to any southwestern-style bowl of red, this chili is called 'five-way' because there are five separate layers in its full configuration. On a thick oval plate that has enough inward slope so the ingredients list toward the center, a base is created from a heap of glistening spaghetti noodles; they in turn are topped by a deliriously spiced sauce of finely ground beef, beans, raw onions, and finally a fluffy crown of Cheddar cheese. Oyster crackers are the traditional garnish, and the proper companion beverage is a milk shake or sweet soda pop.
No Cincinnati chili chef gives out his or her recipe, but we did manage to secure one by sending away a dollar to a lady just over the border in Kentucky, who advertised in the back of a Midwestern home-wife's magazine that she knew how to make the real thing. With some minor adjustments, it worked for us, and closely approximates some of the city's best brews. Feel free to fiddle and fuss to your own taste; and if you are missing cardamom or coriander, substitute something else. Five-way practically demands that you reinvent the recipe and make it your own.
Makes 4 servings
1 1/4 pounds ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, grated
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
Tomato juice, as needed
9 ounces spaghetti
1 tablespoon butter
One 16-ounce can red kidney beans
1 pound Cheddar cheese finely shredded
Oyster crackers, for garnish
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the meat with half the chopped onions and garlic, stirring to keep it loose. Drain any fat from the pan. Add the barbecue sauce and 1/2 cup water and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the chocolate, spices, and salt. Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chili will thicken as it cooks. Add tomato juice, as necessary, to create a brew that ladles up easily. Allow the chili to rest at least 30 minutes in a covered pan at room temperature. (Chili can be refrigerated and reheated to serve.)
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti until just tender. Drain and toss with the butter. Rinse the beans and put into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until warm. Drain any excess liquid.
To make each plate, start with a layer of spaghetti, top it with hot chili, and then a few warm beans and some of the remaining chopped onions. Pat on cheese so the chile's heat can begin to melt it.
