Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Squash

Ready for something lighter?

I am.

Even with a non-traditional Thanksgiving spread that wasn't as heavy as the classic feast, I was feeling a tad over-fed this past weekend. By Sunday, once I had stopped trying to use up leftover caramel sauce by putting it on pancakes and moved on to just putting it on my spoon, I knew it was time for a good veggie-heavy meal. But with cheese of course, because you know, it's still the holiday season and it's cold outside and we still need to gain our winter layers. 

Have you tried Cincinnati-style chili? One of my college roommates was from Cincinnati and the first time she told me about their chili, I was understandably unconvinced. To me, chili meant ground beef, spicy spices, and maybe some beans (shut up, Texas!), not cinnamon and cocoa. It was acceptable to add to baked potatoes or french fries or maybe a hot dog, but putting it on spaghetti sounded like a terrible idea. Then, I went to Cincinnati and I tried it. We went to Skyline and I got a basic three-way with spaghetti, chili, and a mountain of shredded cheddar. Bizarrely, this whole thing came with a side of oyster crackers. But.it.was.so.good. The cocoa and cinnamon compliment the warmth of the other spices, the noodles soak it all up, and the cheddar was so obviously mandatory.  I wouldn't say I was converted to this being the correct way to make chili, but I added it to my list of acceptable ways (not a purist, here).

Since I was looking for a lighter meal here, I swapped beans for beef in this version, but it's ok, because they just happen to be the extra ingredient that gets you to a five-way. Instead of chopped white onions that give you  a four-way, I swapped them out for non-traditional green onions, because I had them wilting in my fridge and they are prettier anyway. Finally, instead of noodles, I poured my chili on top of a roasted spaghetti squash (see what I did there?) for an extra dose of veggies, before making it rain cheddar over the whole thing. You're allowed to leave out the oyster crackers but seriously, no skimping on the cheese. In the end, I think I ended up with sort of a four-way? Don't worry about the math. Worry instead about putting it in your mouth as soon as possible.

Maybe the best part? After toiling in the kitchen all last week this is easier to whip up than it is to spell Cincinnati.

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Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Squash

Makes 4 servings.

Chili recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dark brown sugar
1 cup tomato sauce
1 or 2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 large spaghetti squash

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and prick squash all over using a fork. Roast spaghetti squash whole, 90 minutes, flipping halfway through. 
2. Meanwhile, make chili.  Heat a tbs or so of oil in a medium pot over medium high heat. Cook onions until softened and starting to color, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, then add all the spices and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add broth, water, vinegar, brown sugar, and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add beans and simmer for another 30 minutes, until mixture is thickened and deep red. Keep warm until ready to serve.
4. When squash is finished roasting (can easily be pierced with a fork), let cool enough to handle and then cut the squash lenghwise in half.  Remove seeds, then, using a fork, shred the squash into it's spaghetti strands and then season with salt and pepper (and a little butter, if desired).
5. Ladle chili over the squash and top generously with cheese. Serve hot.

Spiced Sugar Cookie Hand Turkeys

You know those construction paper hand turkeys we all made in elementary school? Yeah, you do. Well here I just transferred that idea to a more edible medium (unless you are still into eating paste?), for a fun holiday cookie or even an activity to keep little ones occupied while adults finish cooking the real bird.

These take a little bit of patience with the fruit roll ups but are otherwise crazy easy and simple to make. Mine of course came out gigantic because I traced my own freaky long hands, but kid-sized hands will yield much more reasonably sized cookies. Any size version will taste delicious.

Gobble gobble!

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Spiced Sugar Cookie Hand Turkeys

For the cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt
scant 2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

To decorate
fruit roll ups, assorted colors and flavors
small leaf or teardrop shaped cookie cutter
white frosting (I used the store bought stuff in a tube)
mini chocolate chips
food decorator pen

1. Cream butter and sugar together for 5 minutes with a mixer on high speed, until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and salt. 
2. Whisk together flour and spices and mix into the wet ingredients until completely combined.
3. Form dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 2 hours.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out half of the dough. Use a food decorator pen to trace hands on the dough surface, then cut out shapes with a paring knife. Using a bench scraper or spatula, carefully transfer hand shapes to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Chill at least 30 minutes.
5. Bake cookies for 15 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown and set.
6. Let cookies cool completely then decorate.

Decorating tips:

• The fruit roll ups were kind of a pain to work with since they are so sticky. I found it easier to cut out the shapes in the fruit roll ups if I cut the squares into strips. That way, I wasn't stretching the entire thing while pulling the shapes apart. It was also much easier to cut out shapes when I layered two pieces together. This will give you darker feather pieces but also means you need more fruit roll ups, so keep that in mind. 
• I used all red (Mott's strawberry) fruit roll ups because they were the only ones I found that didn't have tattoos or pre-cut shapes in them. By all means, use whatever you want, and I do think that multi-flavored fruit roll ups would make for a fun colored turkey.
• Feathers can be made in advance and stored between two pieces of wax paper. You can then just roll up the sheet and store in a sealed plastic bag.
• To make the eyes, pipe a large dot of white frosting on the cookie then place a mini chocolate chip in the center.

Roasted Veggies Two Ways

Between the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and bread, the Thanksgiving table can start to look a little beige, but I've got two pops of color to brighten everything up.

So, since you've got all that open oven space left over from our ice cream pie, here are two roasted veggie sides to fill it right back up!  Fortunately, if you have everything prepped and ready to go, they roast for roughly the same about of time, and can be finished off right before its time to sit down and eat. If that sounds too hectic, they are also wonderful prepared in advance and reheated.

The carrots are stolen straight from the menu at one of my very favorite Boston restaurants, Myers + Chang, although I learned I don't have the patience for glazing veggies and so my version is roasted instead. The carrots are roasted and tossed with miso paste, butter and scallions, for a sweet yet savory side dish that just adds a little something extra and unexpected to the table.

For some green that isn't drowning in cream of mushroom soup, I present brussels sprouts, in a recipe inspired by my new Saturday morning ritual, The Kitchen on Food Network. These are roasted until crispy and tender, then bathed in a vinegar-spiked sauce of mustard and creme fraiche, and topped off with some crisp apple. It's crunchy and creamy, but with a little tartness to cut through all that heavy comfort coming from the rest of the meal.

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Miso Roasted Carrots

Adapted from Food & Wine.

3 lbs carrots, sliced on the diagonal 1/3" thick
1/2 cup miso
6 tbs butter
1 tsp maple syrup
6 scallions, thinly sliced, divided

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and preheat a sheet pan. In a large mixing bowl, mash together miso, butter, maple syrup and half of the scallions until combined. 
2. Roast carrots for 5 minutes, then toss with the miso butter mixture until well coated.
3. Return carrrots to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until beginning to brown and carrots are just tender.
4. Garnish with the rest of the scallions and serve immediately.

Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Dressing

Adapted slightly from Geoffrey Zakarian

2 1lb brussels sprouts, quartered
olive oil
2/3 cup creme fraiche
1/3 cup whole grain mustard
2 tbs cider vinegar
1 tbs honey
salt and pepper
1 granny smith apple, cut into matchsticks

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and preheat a sheet pan.
2. Toss the sprouts with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Transfer to the hot sheet pan and spread out in an even layer, then roast until crispy yet tender, about 30 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to allow for even browning..
3. While sprouts are roasting, mix together creme fraiche, mustard, vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper to taste.  
4. When sprouts are done, toss with the dressing, garnish with apple and serve.