Looking for something to make for dinner last night-- hmmm, I got a little ground beef, some leftover pasta, a pepper, onion, garlic, can of puréed tomatoes. So the situation pointed to a pasta sauce, but I felt like something a little different. Then I had a revelation (inspired by a recent SD post where somebody had asked for help because they had accidentally added cinnamon to a tomato-based dish instead of cumin, and someone said “sounds like you got yourself a batch of Skyline chili, there!”) so I took a stab at some Skyline-like chili!
Found a copycat recipe online. I had cumin, cinnamon, ground cloves, and bay leaves, but not any unsweetened chocolate or cocoa powder. That was unfortunate, but it turned out really tasty with the ingredients I had (plus oregano, which the recipe didn’t call for but I felt like the sauce needed it). With a little grated sharp cheddar on top, delicious.
I had actually never tried Skyline Chili until a couple years ago-- the franchise originated in Cincinnati (of which the “skyline” refers) and now appears to be all over Ohio, as well as a few other states I believe, but not in my home state of Michigan (that I’m aware of). Had seen the restaurants for many years driving through Ohio but didn’t think to try it until then. For those who’ve never heard of it, though it’s called chili, it’s really more of a spaghetti sauce with the above seemingly incongruent ingredients, served over spaghetti noodles. You order it as a 2, 3 or 4-way, depending on how many different toppings you want, like grated cheese and onions (at my first and only visit to a Skyline the 12 year old in me quietly snickered when I heard a guy say to his waitress “I’d like a 3-way”)
Just finished the leftovers for lunch. Yummy.