RECIPES: Two recipes for Cincinatti Chili. RECIPE: Shaye's Cincinatti Skyline Chili This recipe is courtesy Shaye, c/o Culinary SOS, L.A. Times. 2 lbs ground beef 3 cups water 1 can tomato sauce (15 oz) 1/4 tsp garlic power 2 bay leaves 1 onion, chopped 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp cumin 1 1/2 tsp vinegar 1 Tb chili powder 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper Mix ground beef and water until soupy. Mix in other ingredients. Simmer, uncovered 3 hours. Stir occasionally. "Makes 8 servings." Note: Top with grated Cheddar, onions, chili beans or use as sauce over noodles or spaghetti. The Cincinatti Chili is, would you believe, an alternative to spaghetti sauce. It's mild and sweet (the cinnamon does that), and won't burn anyone's mouth unless you serve it boiling. March 1988 * * * * * RECIPE: Cincinnati Chili (Stern) Servings: 4 1 lb Beef, Ground Chuck, run twice through grinder 2 Med Onion, chopped fine 2 cup Garlic, chopped fine 1 cup Tomato Sauce 2 Tbsp Ketchup 1 cup Water 1 Tbsp Vinegar, Red Wine 1 Tbsp Chili Powder 1 Tbsp Paprika 1 tsp Pepper, Black 1 tsp Honey 1/2 oz Chocolate, unsweetened 1/2 tsp Cumin 1/2 tsp Turmeric 1/2 tsp Marjoram 1/2 tsp Allspice 1/4 tsp Nutmeg 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Cloves, ground 1/4 tsp Mace 1/4 tsp Coriander 1/4 tsp Cardamom 1/2 Bay Leaf 1 tsp Salt MY NOTE: It's easier to put all spices in a separate bowl before starting so it's all ready when you need it. Salt a large cast-iron skillet. Turn heat to medium and add meat, onions, and garlic. Cook until all meat is browned. Add tomato sauce, ketchup, water, and vinegar. As mixture begins to boil, add everything else. Adjust spices to taste, adding more salt if it needs perking up, turmeric and cumin for a sweatier chili flavor, cinnamon, cloves, and mace for more bang, unsweetened chocolate for body. Cover and simmer at very low heat for about 1 hour, stirring and tasting occasionally, adding tomato juice if it is getting too dry to ladle up easily. Cincinnati Chili, Construction 8 oz Spaghetti 16 oz Beans, Kidney 2 Onion 1 lb Cheese, Cheddar 1 Box Crackers, Premium Bits The bottom layer is always spaghetti. Break into 4-inch pieces. and boil in salted water to which 2 tablespoons of olive oil were added. For a touch of swank, melt a stick of sweet butter into the just-cooked noodles before you dish them out. You will need about 2 to 3 ounces per serving. You want them soft enough to cut easily with a fork, but not so soft they lose their oomph. Remember, they are the support layer for four other ingredients. Spread them out to cover the bottom of a small plate (preferably oval). Next comes the chili. Ladle on enough to cover the noodles. Wash kidney beans and heat with 2 cups water, then drain. Don't season or do anything fancy. They're here more for texture than taste. Spoon a sparse layer atop the chili. Spread out some onions, to taste, over the beans. Quickly, so it melts a bit, spread the grated cheese to cover everything everything. Don't skimp. Cheese should completely blanket the plate, enough so that you can pat it into a neat mound with your hands, just the way they do in Cincinnati. Serve with small oyster crackers (if you can find them) or the Ritz bits on the side. You may, if desired, omit either the beans or the onions, or both, for Three-Way or Four-Way Chili. Note: They recommend using a thick spaghetti, or perciatelli, if you can find it. From Square Meals, by Michael and Jane Stern [Cindy Tarsi, 24-Jun-91, Origin: MicroWorld BBS - Cedar Park, Texas] June 1991 Hazel Boston-Baden, P.O. Box 17522, Anaheim CA 92817 * * * * *