It's unlike the chili you find anywhere else. This chili is sweeter, thinner and it's all about the add-ons. You can have a 3-way (spagetti, chili, cheese), 4-way (spagetti, chili, cheese, beans OR onions) or 5-way (spagetti, chili, cheese, beans AND onions). Any way you get it, it's delicious! I made sure that Skyline was one of our stops each time I visited Cincinnati that year.
On my way home from one of my Cincinnati trips, I discovered that cans of the stuff are sold in the airport! CANS! That was amazing! Anytime I wanted I could just open up a can of Skyline Chili! I then discovered you can order all kinds of products online as well! You can buy your own Skyline Chili here.
My rabbi-to-be and I experimented a few times with different products--the cans, spice powder that you can add to ground beef, different cheeses, etc. It was not until recently that we decided to actually make our own Cincinnati Chili! We wanted to make it a bit more healthy, so we substitute ground turkey for ground beef and we sometimes use whole wheat pasta (which I never used to be a fan of but they've done some great things with ww pastas now and I am beginning to love it!). Our version is pretty spot on! The flavor is rich with that hint of sweetness (wait til you see what's on the ingredient list!), the texture is a bit different and may take getting used to if you haven't had it before, and we can control exactly how much cheese we add to it. It's becoming a regular go-to for us! We started with a couple recipes we found online and mixed and matched until the flavor was to our liking. I use the measurements as a guideline, not a rule. I added more or less according to my taste.
Cincinnati Chili Recipe
1 lb. ground turkey (or beef if you like-but keep it lean people!)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 bay leaf
1 Tsp ground cinnamon (I think I end up adding more as the chili simmers)
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp Allspice (I don't think I use Allspice because it's not in my cabinet but many recipes call for it, same with clove, but I'm not a huge clove fan)
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper (if you like spice, add more. I had too much one time and ended up having to dilute my chili with water and let it simmer FOREVER to thicken up again!)
1/2 Tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa OR 1/2 oz. grated unsweetened chocolate (I used the grated version once and it was SO much better than using cocoa!)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Spaghetti (your favorite brand)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (pre-shredded or shred your own--whatever you like!)
However much red onion you might like to top off the chili
Heat some oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and saute until tender.
Add the ground meat and cook until just browned, breaking up the meat.
Add the chili powder and mix until it's coating the meat.
Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin, allspice (if using), clove (if using), cayenne, salt, cocoa or chocolate, tomato sauce, water, vinegar, Worcestershire.
Bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered. Most recipes say simmer for an hour and a half. During that time, keep tasting it and adding more of whatever flavor you feel it needs. Or, if you did it perfect on the first try, just let it roll!
A trick that we have started using to get a good texture is to break out the immersion blender to really break up the meat-especially if we're using turkey because that doesn't seem to break up into teeny tiny pieces as well. Yes, it will look soupy, but that's good! Also, if you decide to go this route, TAKE OUT THE BAY LEAF BEFORE BLENDING! Then you can add the bay leaf back in!
About 15-20 minutes before you want to serve the chili, add in the beans. I like them incorporated into the chili, rather than as a topping.
Also 15-20 minutes before serving, prepare your spaghetti and toppings. Chop the red onion if using and shred the cheese. I don't really see the cheese as an option, more of a requirement!
Put pasta on a plate or in a bowl, ladle out the chili on top and then add your toppings! Cheese last!
Enjoy!
