Delishytown

The cinnamon and nutmeg are what make this chili “Cincinnati” style. It’s also a Cincinnati tradition to serve chili on spaghetti noodles instead of elbow macaroni, adding cheddar cheese and chopped raw onions as a garnish. It’s pretty much up to you the way you serve this chili. My Dad likes to serve his chili on corn tortillas with cheese on top. My friend Liza uses those small bags of Fritos, opens them and puts the chili right in there and calls it Frito Pie.

In a large chili pot, brown 1lb ground turkey in 2 tblsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Set meat aside in a drainer to drain off any fat. Add another splash olive oil to the pan and saute 1 small chopped onion, 2 med carrots diced, 2 celery stalked diced. Cook till softened and fragrant.

Meanwhile turn the broiler to high and char the skin of 1 red bell pepper, halved, stem and seeds removed. Once the skin of the pepper is blackened, remove it to a plate or bowl and cover with another plate to steam. After about 5 minutes the skin should peel off easily. Chop the pepper into a large dice. Add to the chili pot.

Now add the meat back to the pot of sauteed veggies and crush 2 or 3 garlic cloves into the pot. Add 1 large (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, 1 small can tomato sauce (15 oz.) 1 bottle of beer, 1 rinsed* can black beans, & 1 rinsed*  can kidney beans.

* When you open the cans of beans, you’ll see that the liquid is separated into clear on top and gritty towards the middle and bottom. I always add 1/8 to ¼ cup of the clear bean liquid from the top of the can into the chili pot. This helps the stew thicken up nicely. Rinse away the rest of the gritty liquid using a mesh strainer.

Season with salt, pepper ¼ tsp Chipotle or Ancho chili powder (you can add more later, to taste. The flavor and heat do grow as the pot simmers.) ½ tsp sweet paprika, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, ¼ to ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, (about  half of one whole nutmeg). If you don’t have whole nutmeg to grate, just use ¼ tsp of ground nutmeg.

Bring the pit up to a simmer and taste. Does it need salt? Pepper? A little more heat from chili powder? Add a small amount of extra spice at a time. It’s easy to add a little more salt or chili powder, but impossible to take any away without doing a whole second batch. I know, been there.