Cincinnati Chili Pizza

I'm thinking you can put just about anything on pizza crust....

I'm on a canned tomato kick of sorts this week (thanks to the Red Gold peeps who sent me that six-pack of tomato goodness).

As someone who is struggling to come up with vegetarian meals, this stuff is a godsend. Not only did I throw together that Tomato, Corn, and Black Bean Soup on Sunday, but I also made a quick pizza with a can of the tomato sauce. You are probably thinking that I added some spices to make a pizza sauce (not that that's a bad idea), but if you are, you are very mistaken. You see, the Red Gold Tomato Sauce made a very quick, but lovely Cincinnati Chili Sauce that was awesome on a pizza!

I totally admit to making a shortcut version of Cincinnati Chili. It works, but this tastes even better the next day.

Just spread it on your favorite pizza dough, top with cheese (I left off the beans this time) and you are good to go!

I opened up the can of Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies to use in another recipe and used some on top of the pizza with some more cheese and some diced onions.



Cincinnati Chili Pizza

Printable Recipe

1 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1 clove crushed garlic

1 pound ground chuck*

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

½ cup water

1 tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce   

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 bay leaf

2 lbs pizza dough (make your own or buy premade)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat pizza stone in oven to 450 degrees  F.

Cook the onion, garlic, and ground chuck in a medium saucepan over medium/high heat until the beef is browned and the onion is soft. Drain the grease. Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Set aside to cool slightly.

Divide the dough in half. Spread one half of the dough into a 10-12 inch circle. Put a generous handful of cornmeal on a pizza peel and place the dough on top of the cornmeal. Spread about 1 cup of the chili on top of the dough. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese evenly over the top of the chili. Slide the pizza onto the pre-heated stone and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden.

*Sub the ground chuck for 1 (12 oz) package of veggie crumbles, if desired. If using the crumbles, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, saute the onions for 5 minutes and then add the crumbles and the garlic.

Disclaimer: I was provided with free products from Red Gold Tomatoes in order to write a review.  As always, all opinions are my own.

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Cincinnati Chili Dogs

 

 I haven't had much time to post lately, but I just had to share the Cincinnati Chili Dogs I made on Sunday. Cincinnati Chili was a favorite of ours when we lived in Indiana (and had access to a Skyline Chili restaurant), but there isn't anything like it in Minnesota. Luckily, allrecipes.com has a very good recipe--supposedly the original Skyline Chili recipe. You can find the recipe here: Authentic Cincinnati Chili

The great thing about this chili is all the spices---cinnamon, allspice, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, cloves, chili powder....and a "secret" ingredient....

It's true...chocolate makes everything better!

We decided on chili dogs after we found these Angus dogs at the store. No nitrates means no swollen sausage fingers for Pete....

Cincinnati Chili is usually served over spaghetti, with a few variants on the toppings. Here is a breakdown of how Cincinnati Chili is most often served:

• two-way: spaghetti and chili
• three-way: spaghetti, chili, and shredded cheese
• four-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, and either diced onions or beans
• five-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and beans
• cheese coney: hot dog topped with chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and mustard
• chili cheese fries: French fries topped with chili and shredded cheese

Oyster crackers are a must for authentic Cincinnati Chili, but, alas, I forgot to buy some. Another reason we decided on the dogs.

My mother-in-law, who lived most of her life in Ohio, never heard of Cincinnati Chili. It was an instant hit with her.

How do you like your chili?