Over the last month, the white stuff has reared its beautiful
{albeit inconvenient} head more times than I choose to count.
When I woke up to this scene today...
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| Hipstamatic Print by {av} |
I decided to make the most of it--
PLEASE NOTE: Vegetarians, you should probably just continue to admire the snow...
Growing up in southern Indiana, I made visits across the border into Ohio a few times a year. I don't remember the first time I tried Cincinnati Chili, I only know I was in love from the beginning...because it came without beans. {Picky eater here--and I loathe beans}
Fast forward to my years in DC: I discovered that Hard Times Cafe carried the Cincinnati goodness I knew and loved. Besides the lack of beans, Cincinnati Chili is heavy on the spices but is typically a little "thinner" than other chili you may have tried in the past. If you're from the Ohio Valley, you also know it tastes phenomenal over any breed of noodles.
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| Hipstamatic Print by {av} |
In the efforts to finish this post before I adventure into the snow, I didn't pull out all the spicy goodness which makes up my Cincinnati Chili. I just pulled out the biggies...and the chocolate, to reign you in...because, yes, there's chocolate in this chili--so who can argue?
Anywho, here's the recipe we use...with the adjustments we normally make:
Ingredients
1 med. white onion - chopped
6 cloves garlic - minced
2.5 lbs. ground beef {we often use ground turkey}
1 can (14oz.) low sodium beef broth
1 can (6oz.) tomato paste
1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon {we typically double this}
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground tumeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cardamon
2 bay leaves (Turkish)
2 tsp. ground cumin {we also double this...up to you!}
6 tbsps. chili powder
2 tbsps. Worcestershire
a few shakes of hot pepper flakes**
4 cups water
Salt (to taste)
**{cv} has come to love this chili too. He's a fan of all things HOT and spicy.
He doctors our pot of chili to his liking and I promptly get my sinuses cleared ;)
Directions
-bring water to a boil
-when just warm, start adding the beef {or turkey}
-crumble with your hands into a fine consistency as you add it to the pot
-bring this "meat soup" to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low
-add everything else to the pot--including the garlic, onions and all of the seasonings {typically I measure everything out in a smaller bowl while the "meat soup" comes to a boil}
-stir and then let simmer for three to four hours on medium low heat
-chili will thicken over the course of those hours...but a little extra time won't hurt it either {we often keep it on for five hours...and if you want a more graphic description of what to expect, click here...eeks!} -serve in a bowl or over cooked noodles
-many times, we top our chili with shredded parmesean....which equals HEAVEN on earth
Though I don't share recipes often {mostly because my husband is a better cook--I'm the baker!}, I thought I'd share this one with all of you because I know many of us will be affected by this snow and ice. I will admit that the first time you make this, there is a little bit of buy-in with all the spices. In my opinion, it's worth it.
Do you have any chili favorites? How else do you stay cozy??
As a sidenote, I cannot thank you enough for your kind words and agreement on yesterday's post. Blogging truly is one of the best blessings I've received in the past few years :)
Stay cozy and safe, everyone!
Much love, {av}
P.S. If you're homebound today, you could work on perfecting your Friday's Fancies
to get an extra entry in the Minted giveaway....just a thought ;)
