Chili for "The Big Game" Can I say "Super Bowl"?

Warm chili is the perfect winter supper and an easy way to feed a crowd or just two. Cincinnati’s 5-way chili is famous and many “fast-food” restaurants feature it. Skyline Chili is the best known and is no longer limited to Cincinnati. There is now an outlet on Clearwater Beach (right next to Mc Donald’s). Chocolate and spices make the flavor different from standard chili. Serve it 3-way, 4-way or 5-way chili for hearty meal. Five way chili starts with meat sauce and is built with spaghetti, kidney beans, chopped onion and lots of shredded Cheddar cheese. Oyster crackers are the traditional accompaniment.

 Cincinnati Chili

Serves 6 to 8

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 cans (14.5 ounce) stewed tomatoes

1 can (15 ounce) tomato sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon coarse salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Brown ground beef, onions and garlic in 5-quart Dutch oven. Stir occasionally to help browning. Pour off any fat. Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth.

 Combine chili powder, cocoa, cinnamon, salt and cumin small bowl. Stir into beef mixture. Heat chili to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chili can be prepared ahead and refrigerated until serving.

 Reheat chili if needed. To serve Cincinnati style, serve with spaghetti, beans, onion and lots of Cheddar cheese.

In Cincinnati, the famous chili restaurants serve so much cheese on top everything else is hidden. For four servings of 5-way chili you will need the following:

12 ounces spaghetti, cooked, drained and kept warm

1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion

2 to 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

When I' only serving two, I freeze the remaining chili for another two meals and reduce amounts of the toppings.