"Chocolate" chili -- Great deadline food
Actually, the recipe is called Cincinnati Chili, but since it has chocolate in it, I've changed the name of my version. I posted this a long time ago, but since I made a double batch of this on Sunday, I thought I'd post it again. The weather's starting to get cold, and nothing is better in cold weather than hot chili -- especially chili with chocolate in it.
I didn't used to mind cooking, back in the days when I had free time -- but now it's simply a major (but necessary) pain. I like to eat, so I have to cook. I usually cook every other night, with enough for leftovers the next night. But I have several recipes that I'll make when I know the writing is gonna get hot & heavy, and I double the recipe so I'll have plenty to freeze. That way on those nights when I simply don't have time to cook, there's good eats waiting in the freezer. I found the following recipe online, but have made quite a few changes to it. This is the single-batch version. Double the ingredients if you have a deadline approaching, or are feeding a small army. This stuff smells like heaven while cooking.
Cincinnati Chili
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 bay leaf
Half of a 1 oz. square of unsweetened chocolate
2 (10.5 oz.) cans beef broth
1 (12 oz.) can of tomato paste
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently until tender (about 6 minutes). Move onions to a separate bowl.
2. In the same pot, brown the ground beef. When done, drain the grease.
3. Add onions back to the pot with the beef. Then add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, chocolate, beef broth, tomato paste, cider vinegar, and red pepper. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil (Important safety tip: when this stuff starts to boil, it pops like molten lava. Have a lid ready.) Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. (At this point, you can go and get some more writing done, and take breaks to stir the chili.)
4. You can serve it when it's done, but the recipe says it's best to refrigerate it overnight (I guess to let the flavors merge & mingle). I don't do this. If I've cooked something, I'm eating it. Now. Though if you're going to refrigerate overnight, leave the bay leaf in (for more flavor mingling). If you're eating it now, unless you want a crunchy surprise, remove the bay leaf before eating.
5. I serve it over Jasmine rice. The recipe suggests spaghetti. Heck, this stuff is good on a baked potato, too. The recipe says you can top it with shredded cheddar cheese. We don't. Don't get me wrong, I love cheese; but this stuff tastes so good that I don't want to cover it up with anything.
Enjoy!
I didn't used to mind cooking, back in the days when I had free time -- but now it's simply a major (but necessary) pain. I like to eat, so I have to cook. I usually cook every other night, with enough for leftovers the next night. But I have several recipes that I'll make when I know the writing is gonna get hot & heavy, and I double the recipe so I'll have plenty to freeze. That way on those nights when I simply don't have time to cook, there's good eats waiting in the freezer. I found the following recipe online, but have made quite a few changes to it. This is the single-batch version. Double the ingredients if you have a deadline approaching, or are feeding a small army. This stuff smells like heaven while cooking.
Cincinnati Chili
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 bay leaf
Half of a 1 oz. square of unsweetened chocolate
2 (10.5 oz.) cans beef broth
1 (12 oz.) can of tomato paste
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently until tender (about 6 minutes). Move onions to a separate bowl.
2. In the same pot, brown the ground beef. When done, drain the grease.
3. Add onions back to the pot with the beef. Then add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, chocolate, beef broth, tomato paste, cider vinegar, and red pepper. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil (Important safety tip: when this stuff starts to boil, it pops like molten lava. Have a lid ready.) Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. (At this point, you can go and get some more writing done, and take breaks to stir the chili.)
4. You can serve it when it's done, but the recipe says it's best to refrigerate it overnight (I guess to let the flavors merge & mingle). I don't do this. If I've cooked something, I'm eating it. Now. Though if you're going to refrigerate overnight, leave the bay leaf in (for more flavor mingling). If you're eating it now, unless you want a crunchy surprise, remove the bay leaf before eating.
5. I serve it over Jasmine rice. The recipe suggests spaghetti. Heck, this stuff is good on a baked potato, too. The recipe says you can top it with shredded cheddar cheese. We don't. Don't get me wrong, I love cheese; but this stuff tastes so good that I don't want to cover it up with anything.
Enjoy!
posted by Lisa Shearin at
6:19 AM
3 Comments:
That looks delicious! Have you ever tried it without the chocolate? I'm just curious how much of a flavor the chocolate contributes--seems like it would be mostly lost among the spicier ingredients. Then again, maybe it gives it a smoother consistency?
I may have to try it. It'd be a great excuse to buy baking chocolate, anyway. :)
While I've never tried this recipe, as a Cincinnatian, I can attest to the deliciousness that is Cincinnati style chili. We don't usually just eat it in a bowl (although you can), but over spaghetti, like you said, on a hot dog in a bun, or on a bun sans the hot dog. You can make an awesome chip dip with it, too. Layer cream cheese, chili, and shredded cheese in a small casserole dish, and heat until the cheese melts.
K.C., I wouldn't think that the chocolate would be missed all that much. Then again, I've never tried it without. I keep baking chocolate in the house just for this recipe.
Superwench, OMG -- layer cream cheese, chili, and shredded cheese. Decadent. MUST TRY!
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