Cincinnati Chili--Making It Local

On our way back from upstate New York in January, we had a layover at the Cincinnati airport. Since the airlines seldom feed you any more, we were there lunchless, with all the usual franchises. But there was one more booth: Gold Star Chili. It had a large bulletin board next to it, describing how four brothers had scraped together $1,200 in 1969 to start the business, which is now a franchise in Ohio and several neighboring states.

Well, I thought, might as well try it while I'm here: "Local Food", right? Cincinnati chili in Cincinnati. So I ordered the chili on french fries, topped with grated cheese. Oh boy, belly bomb. But it was delicious. The chili had a definite flavor of cinnamon, spicy but not too spicy. The serving was just the right size to be filling without overfilling. Great experience. Thanks, Cincinnati and Gold Star.

Here at home, I found a recipe for Cincinnati Chili in a cookbook, and set to work localizing it. Here is my result.

Mostly-Local Cincinnati Chili

1 pound ground buffalo (Rocky Plains, Grover producer)
1 pound ground pork (Rocky Plains, Kersey producer)
1 cup chopped onion (Cresset Farm)
1/2 cup chopped celery (not local in winter)
1/2 cup fresh chopped green pepper, or 2 Tbs dried (Cresset Farm)
2 tablespoons your favorite chili powder (Native Seeds, AZ)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (or black would work as well)
salt to taste
4 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce (not local this year, but will be next!)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey (Clarks, Fort Lupton)
grated cheese (Windsor Dairy)

Brown the ground meats, adding the onion and celery, stirring. Add the chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, salt, tomato sauce, water, and lemon juice. (Yes, it's a lot of water). Simmer together at least 1 1/2 hours. Stir in honey, check for seasoning. You should be able to taste the spices, and just a bit of sweet-sour taste from the lemon juice and honey.

Traditionally served on spaghetti or on French fries, it is also good on baked or boiled potatoes. Top with grated cheddar or other cheese. You can also add well-cooked beans either in the chili toward the end of cooking, or at serving time.

Native Seeds/SEARCH is based in Arizona. The organization works to preserve native plant varieties of the southwest, selling seeds, and also sells chili powders and other traditional southwest foods. So although they are not a Colorado company, they are working hard to preserve local foods for our benefit. The chili powder I used in this recipe was on hand in my kitchen, half Hatch mild, and half Ancho, flavorful but not extremely hot.