Cincinnati Chili Revisited

In Greece we have a dish similar to an Italian bolognese, made with ground beef, onions, tomatoes, herbs and spices, all simmered together, and then mixed with pasta and topped with a hard Greek cheese called kefolotíri.Decades ago, Greek immigrants brought makarónia me kimá to Cincinnati, where I now live, and it was transformed into the famous Skyline Chili, a staple of Cincinnati still today and a must-taste when you visit. I wouldn’t dare claim to replicate their recipe, but I was inspired to go for a lighter version of this homestyle classic with our newly-arrived products. Sparoza’s fragrant cooking blend, with real orange zest, brings the memory of those original eastern spices, and Agrozimi’s rich egg noodles hold the sauce beautifully for a not-too-heavy fall comfort food (I admit to leaving out the oyster crackers and kidney beans!). The secret is to slowly simmer - the longer you simmer, the more the flavors will develop.

Ingredients for the cincinnati chili

1 lb ground bison or ground beef

2 lbs of tomatoes, chopped or pureed

1 onion finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp Sparoza handcrafted cooking blend with spices and orange zest

Salt and pepper to taste

1 package of Agrozimi hilopites egg noodles or pasta of your choice

Make the cincinnati chili

Warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pan on high heat. 

Add the ground meat and cook until browned.

Add the onion and Sparoza’s cooking blend and continue to cook until the onion becomes translucent. 

Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper; bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium-low. Let the sauce simmer slowly for at least an hour.

In the meantime, cook the hilopites according to the package instructions, drain and mix with a little extra virgin olive oil before setting aside.

When your sauce is ready, pour over the pasta, top with the shredded cheese of your choice and ENJOY!

Buy the zelos products to make cincinnati chili