Do you like playing games? Do you enjoy cooking? Do you like to occasionally have more than just soda pop and potato chips as snacks for game night? In this Monday blog series, game industry personalities will be sharing some of their favorite recipes for game night munchies. Welcome to Gaming Gastronomy! This week our midwestern meal comes from Patrick Kelly of Blue Peg, Pink Peg.
Patrick Kelly (Facebook, Twitter, Web, YouTube) is one of the producers and host of Blue Peg, Pink Peg. Patrick has been gaming for 8 years and loves the ways that the hobby helps people connect and spend time together. Patrick works as a lawyer, but lives to be a supportive husband, loving father, and reliable friend.
As Origins approaches I thought that I would provide you with a recipe for an Ohio staple, Cincinnati Chili. I have tried many Cincinnati Chili recipes and this one is an amalgam of the best of each of these recipes.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- Water, enough to cover the ground beef
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of all spice
- Grated sharp Cheddar (for garnish)
- Spaghetti Noodles (for garnish)
- Chopped onions (for garnish)
- Kidney beans (for garnish)
Directions
The keys to good Cincinnati Chili are the use of very lean ground beef and quality bakers chocolate. You also need to be sure that you let the chili cook at low heat, for a fairly long period of time. This is a meal that takes two days to prepare, though none of the preparatory steps are very labor intensive.
The first thing that you want to do is put the ground beef in a sturdy Dutch oven or soup pot and cover it with water. I typically fill it until the water is above the ground beef the distance between the tip of my pointer finger (first from the thumb) at the second knuckle. You should ensure that the ground beef is thoroughly defrosted before beginning the dish. Then bring the water to a soft boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. As the water comes to a boil, stir the beef in order to thoroughly separate it. You should boil the ground beef for about 30 minutes. Afterwards, remove the ground beef from the heat and allow it to cool to remove temperature, them cover and refrigerate for eight to twenty four hours.
After the ground beef has refrigerated, remove and dispose of the fat that has congealed at the top of the ground beef. This step is incredibly gross, but also fairly important.
Once you have removed the grease, add all of the other ingredients, save for the cheese, spaghetti noodles, and kidney beans to the water and bring them to a boil. As I noted above, the use of quality chocolate will make all the difference, in the quality of the dish. I have found that Lindt and Ghirardelli chocolate are the best for this purpose. Then lower the temperature to a mild simmer and let it cook uncovered for about three hours and then covered for about thirty more minutes.
Once the dish is done, you can serve it in a bowl, with cheese, fresh chopped onions, and warmed and drained kidney beans or the same way, but over a plate of spaghetti. For me the later method is preferred; however, if the dish is to be served during gaming, the former is less likely to result in a mess or gaming delays.
In the coming weeks, check back here on Mondays for more delectable recipes from personalities around the game industry.