Cincinnati Chili

So, this isn't your typical chili. This chili was made famous in Cincinnati, as the name suggests, and has a Moroccan flavor to it. It's a unique blend of spices and you might really like it, even if you don't like chili. If you want to lighten it up, you can substitute the ground meat with ground chicken, ground turkey, or just use kidney beans or pinto beans in place of meat. It is traditionally served over pasta, which works really well but you could use rice or any grain that you wanted or eat it as a stew.

Note: traditionally this chili has chocolate in it but I left it out for obvious reasons...plus I think it's weird.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 pounds ground beef (chicken, turkey, or beans okay too)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 bay leaf
1 cup or small 10 oz can beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional, for heat)
shredded Cheddar cheese
cooked spaghetti for each serving

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 6 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned. Then add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, beef broth, tomato sauce, and red pepper. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1/2-1 hour stirring occasionally.

It is the best if you now refrigerate overnight to develop the flavors but with the smell in the house, I can't wait! Remove the bay leaf. Reheat gently over medium heat. Serve over hot, drained spaghetti. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and raw onion if desired (I don't but I could see it).

No pictures because it was too yummy to stop and take a pic!

Special thanks to Kevin for introducing me to the idea and thanks to allrecipes.com for giving me a start on the recipe for which I adapted.