Okay, I realize that this, my first submission to Sunday Supper, is a bit of a cheat. I’ve published this recipe before, nearly four years ago. The flavor was excellent, the writing was fine and the photos were…dark and dreary. And just kind of terrible, in general.
But this Cincinnati chili is such a staple, it seems a shame to let it languish in the terribly-photographed-and-therefore-never-mentioned-again depths of my archives. This recipe is my fall-back. When I am craving chili, I make Cincinnati chili. When I don’t know what to make for dinner, I make Cincinnati chili. When I don’t feel like cooking and have very little food in the house, I make Cincinnati chili; we almost always have the ingredients on hand.
Oftentimes, we stick with just the three- or four-way version. The beans take a little extra effort and planning ahead, since we rarely have canned beans in the pantry, only their dried counterparts. Which is a bit sad, because the five-way Cincinnati chili is stellar.
Not sure what I’m talking about with the three-, four- and five-way stuff? Let me explain: Cincinnati chili, or at least Cincinnati chili a la Skyline Chili, is served over spaghetti, topped with cheese. That’s a three-way chili. A four-way adds onions or beans. A five-way adds both. Let’s get to it!
(And if you like it, can I ask you to vote for my chili in the Sunday Supper Chili Cook-Off?)
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