Thursday, May 20, 2021

Cincinatti Chili


 

Heyyyy folks, This popular chili is also known as "Skyline Chili," a Cincinnati specialty. The unique chili was created in 1922 by Athanas Kiradjieff, a Macedonian immigrant who opened a hot dog stand—the Empress—in Cincinnati. A variety Middle Eastern spices provide the seasoning for this tasty chili mixture. 

The Empress "five-way" chili included a base of spaghetti topped with layers of chili, onions, beans, and shredded cheese. Accompaniments included oyster crackers and a couple of hot dogs topped with cheese. 

Not a small lunch! This version is cooked low and slow in the crock pot, making it an excellent choice for a busy day. It's a good dish to fix on a snowy weekend. Throw it together in the slow cooker and enjoy winter activities with your family. 

 The chili mixture makes a tasty hot dog sauce, too.

INGREDIENTS:


For the Spice Mixture: 

5 whole allspice berries 

5 whole cloves 1 bay leaf 

For the Chili: 

2 pounds ground beef 

1 1/2 cups beef stock (unsalted or low sodium) 

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes 

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 

1 large onion (chopped) 

2 tablespoons chili powder 

2 large cloves garlic (minced) 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (crushed) 

2 teaspoons cocoa (unsweetened) 

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans (drained and rinsed) 

1 pound thin spaghetti Garnish: chopped onions

 Garnish: shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:


Combine the whole allspice, cloves, and bay leaf in a small cheesecloth garni bag or make a cheesecloth bag to hold them. 

 Place a large skillet over medium heat. 

Add the ground beef and cook while stirring and turning until it is browned and no longer pink. 

Drain the ground beef thoroughly and transfer it to the slow cooker. 

Discard excess fat. Add the beef stock to the slow cooker along with the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, the large chopped onion, chili powder, garlic, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, red pepper, cocoa, Worcestershire sauce, and the cheesecloth bag with spices. 

 Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours; add the drained kidney beans the last hour. 

 About 15 minutes before the chili is done, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water following the package directions. Drain well. 

 Serve the chili over the hot drained spaghetti and top each serving with chopped onions and shredded cheese. The sauce may also be used as a chili dog sauce. 

 For Serving Two-Way Chili–The chili mixture is served on spaghetti. 

 Three-Way Chili–The chili and spaghetti are topped with shredded cheddar cheese. 

 Four-Way Chili–Chopped onions are added to the topping. 

 Five-Way Chili–Kidney beans are added to the toppings. 

The above version includes kidney beans, but feel free to leave them out and add them to the layered toppings. 

DON'T SWEAT THE TECHNIQUE-

 If desired, replace the whole allspice with 1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice and replace the whole cloves with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. 

Enjoy!
Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






Cavier & Vodka
Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household