Cincinnati Style Chili

Throughout the country, there are lots of types of chili. My personal favorite (and this could have something to do with my childhood in the state of Ohio) is a Cincinnati Style Chili. What makes this chili different is that the beans are served on top (with a mound of finely shredded cheddar cheese) and served over some spaghetti noodles--oh and unsweetened chocolate is in the sauce! This chili was made popular by Skyline Chili; an absolute greasy spoon with the best chili ever! They have a secret ingredient in their chili I have tried to discover through lots of hits and misses. I have found using Hungarian Paprika and a touch of five-spice (Chinese herb) helps recreate the Skyline taste--not exact but still very yummy.  I have also included the beans in the actual chili because my kids really love beans (I have even added an extra can). The very high fat unsweetened chocolate has been replaced with dutch processed unsweetened cocoa (no fat, all flavor). If you cannot get dutch processed cocoa, don't worry--just make sure it is UNSWEETENED! This is one of those recipes that showcases the savory side of the cocoa bean--not its sweetness.

As you might guess, this is a recipe I have been tweaking and changing for years and I am sure if I share this recipe next year, it will still be different. Be sure to take several tastes during the cooking process, and if you find something that you think really adds to the dish (or you know Skyline's secret ingredient) leave a comment. (If you make this meal, I'd love to hear from you too--this chili is one of my culinary babies!)

Enjoy--this is my younger daughter's favorite meal!

Cincinnati Style Chili

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb. lean ground beef (or 1 package Bocca crumbles/ Morning Star Crumbles works too)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced (light a candle by your cutting board to 'cut' down on tears)

2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 14 oz. cans tomato sauce

1 tbsp. Hungarian paprika

1 tbsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice (taste with 1/4 and add more as needed)

1 tsp. garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 can kidney beans

2 to 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 lb. spaghetti (whole wheat works well here)

Freshly grated cheddar cheese 

Heat olive oil in large sauce pan over medium high heat. If using ground beef, brown beef and quickly rinse in strainer to 'wash away' fat. Set aside. Add the green pepper, onion and garlic and cook until soft (about 4-6 minutes). If using 'fake' meat' saute veggies and garlic until soft. Add the Bocca or Morning Star 'meat' and touch of olive oil. Heat until cooked.

*Once the meat and veggies are cooked, add the dry spices (except the cocoa) and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and sauce. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 1-2 hours (very low if you need it to sit longer). During this time, stir and taste occasionally adding spices where needed (I am usually adding more cinnamon and paprika). 

Bring the chili to a medium low heat. Stir in the cocoa,  and if you'd like to add the beans before, this is is good time (if not cook beans in separate pot to serve alongside chili). 

Allow to cook for an additional 1/2 hour to an hour.

Boil spaghetti to al dente.

To serve, get some big bowls, spaghetti in bowl and ladle chili over the noodles. Follow with beans (if not already added) and cheddar cheese.

Skyline serves these with oyster crackers if you want the whole experience:)

Enjoy!

* Note-At this point, you can transfer everything to a crock pot.

Grocery Tip-- Make friends with your butcher and fish monger

This is the number one tip for getting the best meat and seafood. These people know A LOT about the meat you eat. They can tell you what just came off the truck and what's been sitting in the case (this is beyond valuable with fish--if the fish has been in the case for over a day do not buy it, ever). The cut of meat in terms of beef, pork is also based on whatever they grab out of the case. Tell them what you are planning to do with the meat and they can help you get the right piece in terms of thickness, marbling, etc. They should also be able to tell you where the meat came from--the farm, the meat's previous state (frozen or non frozen). You can also learn a lot. I remember back in January commenting to my fish monger that the wild salmon tasted bland and her told me wild salmon can only be caught from early may to late June. The rest of the year it is frozen and this begins to affect the fish in winter months. As a result, I am passing on my absolute favorite meat until May (and there will be LOTS of recipes on salmon then). 

So how do you go about making friends with this person. Start off by asking them questions about what they think looks good. Ask them how they like to cook certain cuts. Listen and respect their opinion. They should know their meat. Learn their name and use it when you come back again. They will remember you.

Lamb Chops with Garlic and Mint

Nothing says spring like lamb, mint and a nice green veggie. This recipe is adapted from Henry Hill's book "The Wiseguy Cookbook". Hill is an infamous mobster whose time in crime was the subject of an excellent movie "Goodfellas"--the movie talked a lot about food (I will never forget the line 'slicing garlic with a razor blade'--you don't have to do that here and I actually do not recommend it. Stick with the chef knife please!) If you enjoy 'story' type cookbooks, I highly suggest it. The recipes are pretty awesome too :)

Be sure to allow time to let the chops marinate.

Lamb Chops with Garlic and Mint

1 lb lamb chops (shoulder is the least expensive)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C olive oil

bunch of fresh mint leaves

salt and pepper

mint jelly for garnish

Combine garlic, mint, olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Coat lamb chops well and place in a plastic baggie. Let marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Heat grill. Remove excess marinade off chops and grill--about 6 minutes the first side and five on the second. You can use a broiler too.

Serve with mint jelly and broccollini. 

Braised Broccollinni and Garlic

I just love this vegetable. It is amazing tender so don't cook for too long!

Braised Broccollini and Garlic

1 lb. broccollini (tough ends removed)

2 tbsp. olive oil

5 garlic cloves, smashed

Parmegiana Reggiono

salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium high heat. Add broccollini and garlic. Season with salt, pepper and parmesan. Toss and cook for five to six  minutes. Once broccollini is bright green, remove garlic and serve.

Faux Coq au Vin

Let me be clear about this first: this is not traditional coq au vin (rooster in wine), an amazing dish that takes hours to cook. This is a version of Rachel Ray's 'Quick Coq Au Vin' from "30 Minute Meals". I love this dish because it is very rich but without the red meat. The red wine you use should be a hearty one like a cabernet.

Coq Au Vin

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch size pieces

handful of all-purpose flour 

Salt and pepper

1/4 C olive oil (we are flash frying so no need for extra virgin)

1/2 lb. baby bella mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 C full bodied dry red wine

14 oz. no-fat chicken broth

7-9 sprigs fresh thyme (strip leaves and dice them)

4 tbsp. tomato paste

Garlic croutons*

(You can also buy the larger dried bread rounds with garlic flavor to save even more time)

Season flour with salt and pepper. Carefully dust pieces of chicken in seasoned flour (dredge in flour and shake off excess). Place pieces on plate. Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium to high heat. Once the oil is very hot, flash fry the chicken, turning until all sides are light brown and slightly crispy. Remove chicken and turn heat to medium. Add mushrooms and garlic to pan, stirring often to avoid the garlic browning. After five minutes (the mushrooms should be cooked down), add the red wine. At this point you can 'clean' the pan with the wine by scrapping any stuck brown pieces at the bottom (don't take them out of the pan though--they add great flavor). Add chicken broth, chicken and thyme. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium low and stir in tomato paste. Allow to simmer for 15-25 minutes.

Serve with garlic croutons.

Garlic Croutons

1 baguette, cut in 2 inch rounds

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed

Broil slices  of bread until evenly cooked on both sides.

In a small glass bowl, combine olive oil and garlic. Heat in microwave for 25 seconds.

Remove garlic. Brush rounds of bread with the garlic infused olive oil.