Phil N. and Shiva R.: Choo choo, all aboard the train to flavor town!

Phil N and Shiva R are friends of mine and I've always known that they enjoy a good hole in the wall restaurant, and through our friends' many potluck dinners, I know they're great cooks as well! I enjoyed getting to know my friends better through this experience of cooking Skyline chili with them! A fun fact is that I'm actually originally from Cincinnati, the birthplace of Skyline chili. Growing up, I ate Skyline for school lunch every Wednesday (alternating 3-ways and chili cheese coney), so I have a soft spot for Skyline. I was happily surprised to find that my non-Cincinnati friends enjoyed Skyline too, as the taste profile of Skyline is influenced by Cincinnati's Greek immigrants and thus contains Spice Island/Mediterranean trade route ingredients like cinnamon, cloves, and chocolate, which is not found in traditional American chili.

This particular recipe is a Guy Fieri (of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives fame) adaptation. Phil on how often they use Guy Fieri recipes: We eat Skyline a fair amount, and we also have never made a Guy Fieri recipe that wasn't fire. I actually try to exclusively eat Guy Fieri recipes. As Guy says, "Choo choo, all aboard the train to flavor town."

When Shiva and Phil cook together now, they're mostly grilling--I've had some and it's always very tasty, but here they talk about how they started cooking before medical school...
Shiva: Growing up, I cooked one meal a week for my family. Mostly it was simple Indian food like rice dishes, and we were pretty big on pressure cookers. I was just so bored in high school and it was something to do. I grew up vegetarian at home but I ate meat all throughout high school. Then I didnt' really cook much in college.
Phil: Growing up, I cooked everything--carbonara, enchiladas; my mom actually did most of the cooking and she had a rotation of about 10 dishes. Now my dad is a wannabe chef, and he's actually an awesome cook. In college, I cooked Mondays and Wednesdays in college, mostly making tacos and pasta and reheating lots of leftovers.

On the best food they've ever made:
Phil: My enchiladas are really good. I make them spicier with more cayenne, chili powder, red pepper, chipotle peppers. I usually have my roommate, Ben, taste test.
Shiva: I like making saag base for saag paneer, but it's a real pain. I also made really intensive Bolognese once with my friend Fletcher, and we also included homemade pappardelle.

The two then start talking about chutneys because Phil confuses pappardelle and pappardam. Phil stops to kill a wasp with a paper towel and Shiva talks about a centipede he found while using the bathroom. I've lost their attention. 

Phil and Shiva decide to not drain the fat and the kitchen fills up with a delectable smell of spices and simmering meat. Shiva steams his face over the cooking chili and Phil chimes in, "Sometimes I make hot chili just for the steam facial." The chili is served and it is wonderful.

Skyline Chili: A note from a native Cincinnatian that to garnish with the Italian cheese below would be.... sacrilege. Use shredded cheddar.

2 pounds ground beef, (80/20 lean muscle to fat ratio)

1 onion, finely diced

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 1/2 teaspoons powdered ginger

2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

4 cups low-sodium beef stock

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 pound bucatini noodles, boiled in salted water, drained

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown the ground beef while breaking the mass into smaller pieces. While the meat is cooking and still a little pink, add the onion and saute until the beef is fully cooked and the onion turns translucent. Drain all of the fat from the pan. Add all the dry spices and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, then stir in the tomato sauce. Once combined, incorporate the beef stock, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Put the cooked bucatini in a serving bowl and add the meat sauce. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.