Cincinnati Chili

I'm not really interested in the haters' assertions that Cincinnati Chili is or isn't Chili.  Who cares what it's called?  Call it "bowl of magic" if you're so offended it was bestowed the chili namesake, who knows... like 90 years ago.  

I discovered Cincinnati Chili at a late stage, and to me, it's more comparable to marinara sauce than, say, Texas Red.  It's something to spoon over spaghetti along with other stuff like cheddar cheese, chopped onions, beans.  Personally, I like it best with just a bit of onion and a ton of cheese.  Beans do add a nice mellowness to the mix, but so does cheese, so I tend to just opt for more cheese.

So then, here's my recipe.  It's vegan apart from the addition of cheese, which I'll admit I like to add.  

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 13.7 oz packages of beefless ground crumble (vegan ground beef), let thaw
• 1/4 cup chili powder (not hot stuff)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 Tbsps 100% unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 qt vegetable stock
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsps apple cider vinegar
• 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp liquid smoke
• cooked spaghetti
• vidalia onion, chopped (optional)
• red kidney beans, canned/dry doesn't matter, just cooked (optional)
• mild/medium cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

Brown up the "meat" a little bit in the oil, add all the spices, and sautee that very briefly.  Add the tomato sauce and the liquids, bring to a boil, then reduce temperature and simmer for about 30 min.  Add to the spaghetti, then top with the chopped onion, cheese, and beans to your preference.