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Cincinnati Chili Cockaigne

(recipe, Ethan Becker, Marion Rombauer Becker, Irma S. Rombauer)

Introduction

For a so-called 2-Way, serve this dish over spaghetti. For a 3-Way, top it with grated Cheddar cheese. For a 4-Way, top it with chopped onions as well. For a 5-Way, top it all off with cooked red kidney beans. Traditional sides include oyster crackers or hot pepper sauce.

Ingredients

1. 4 cups water
2. 2 lb. ground beef chuck
3. 2 medium onions, finely chopped
4. 5 to 6 garlic cloves, crushed
5. 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
6. 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
7. 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
8. 10 whole black peppercorns, ground
9. 8 whole allspice berries, ground
10. 8 whole cloves, ground
11. 1 large bay leaf
12. 2 tsp. salt
13. 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
14. 1½ tsp. ground red pepper
15. 1 tsp. ground cumin
16. ½ oz. unsweetened chocolate, grated

Steps

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add ground beef. Stir until separated, and reduce the heat to a simmer.
2. Add the chopped onions, crushed garlic, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Stir in the ground peppercorns, allspice berries, cloves, bay leaf, salt, ground cinnamon, red pepper, cumin, and unsweetened chocolate.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 2½ hours. Cool, uncovered, and refrigerate overnight.
5. Before serving, skim off all or most of the fat and discard. Discard the bay leaf, too. Reheat the chili.