Traditional Cincinnati Chili

I got this recipe from a college friend who grew up right outside of Cincinnati. The original recipe calls for twice as much ground beef and no beans, but I prefer the combination. This chili has an interesting blend of flavors and you can easily adjust amounts to your liking - I tend to measure all the spices with a generous hand! Don't be afraid to make it spicy because serving it on spaghetti sort of spreads out the heat. I have also added chopped bell peppers to this to add color, with good results. This freezes well. A couple of notes - browning the ground beef ahead of time works ok, but the consistency will be much different than if you crumble the raw meat into the water at the start (chunky vs. a kind of thickened sauce consistency). Also, this will work in a crock pot, but the end result is too thin and watery for my taste.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  quart water
• 1  lb  raw ground beef
• 2 (14 1/2ounce) cans kidney beans, undrained (pinto beans are fine too)
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons cider vinegar (red wine vinegar works too)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2  tablespoons chili powder
• 3  bay leaves
• 1  teaspoon cumin
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon allspice (I tend to use closer to a full tsp. because I love it)
• 1  tablespoon salt
• 1  teaspoon black pepper
• 1  teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
•  cooked spaghetti
•  shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Pour water into a large cooking pot (5-qt size)
2. Crumble raw ground beef into water.
3. Add beans, onions, garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and all of the spices, salt and peppers.
4. Stir together and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer till meat is cooked and chili is thickened, from 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter (depending on how thick you like it).
6. When chili is nearly done, prepare spaghetti (as much as you need - think in terms of how much you would want if this were spaghetti sauce).
7. Place drained spaghetti on plates and ladle chili over it.
8. Top with shredded cheddar.