TV Recipe Trial: Cincinnati Chili

Unlike Bon Vivant, who lives the good life and seems to dine out nightly with a fabulous group of friends, I have to find interesting ways to feed my family in between finding jeans that fit The Bug, fixing the toilet, and getting some homework done.

On Saturday I made a pot of Cincinnati Chili using the recipe from America's Test Kitchen. I saw the show and thought it looked interesting. Chili and pasta? Okay!

I didn't know the origin of the recipe, but after the house was redolent with the scent of Greek-spiced meat, I thought I better check it out. Why did my chili smell like Pastisio?

Indeed, it's a Greek-based dish. From all the sites I've read it seems two Greek guys moved to (where else?) Cincinnati in the 1920s and had a go at a restaurant. Their Greek food didn't go over too well, so they adjusted their lamb stew to make it more palatable for the locals. Then they poured it over spaghetti, topped it with onions, grated cheese and at some point, throw in kidney beans.

As strange as it sounds, "Greek Spaghetti" is pretty good. The cinnimon, cocoa and allspice are rich and fragrant. I cooked the sauce down to be less soupy, which I understand is not as authentic as the water sauce. Oh well.

Serve with a nice big Greek salad and you're set!

Both Juiceboy and The Bug liked this dish and called it a keeper.

Cincinnati Chili history