Cincinnati Chili Recipe Calls For Unsweetened Chocolate

Dear Merri Lou: Quite a long time ago, Washington Water Power included a little pamphlet with their bills that had a recipe each month. There was a recipe for Cincinnati Chili that was made with chocolate. Would it be possible to find the recipe? I have lost mine. I would really appreciate it. Thanks. Wilma, Liberty Lake.

Dear Wilma: Mona Mitchell’s “Bon Appetit” section always had enticing recipes. Here’s the recipe, courtesy of WWP.

Cincinnati Chili

2 pounds extra-lean ground beef

1 quart water

2 onions, grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups tomato sauce

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1-1/2 teaspoons red pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 bay leaf

4 tablespoons chili powder (see note)

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 square unsweetened chocolate

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons vinegar

Crumble beef into water in a large saucepan; stir until beef breaks up into a fine-grained texture. Cook slowly for 30 minutes.

Add all remaining ingredients; stir well. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Cover if desired consistency is reached before total cooking time is completed.

Skim off fat. Serve over cooked spaghetti or chili beans and sprinkle with chopped fresh onions and grated cheese (also good served over hot dogs).

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 317 calories, 21.1 grams fat (60 percent fat calories), 23 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrate, 78 milligrams cholesterol, 646 milligrams sodium.

Note: Reduce the amount of chili powder for a less spicy taste.

Dear Merri Lou: I have a problem! I dehydrated lots of tomatoes. So tell me what to do with them! Do I have to put them in water first? How about soups? Is there a casserole recipe? Help! Tomatoes will be here again soon! - Frances, Soap Lake, Wash.

Dear Francis: To reconstitute dried tomatoes, place them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes or soak them in hot water for 10-20 minutes. You can use them in soups, stews, sauces, salad dressings or on pizza. Chop or dice them to suit your purpose.

Sonoma Dried Tomatoes has a free newsletter called “5:15 Times” that offers quick recipes using dried tomatoes. Phone, fax or mail your name and address to Timber Crest Farms, 4791 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448, phone (707) 433-8251, FAX (707) 433-8255. Sonoma also produces a dried tomato cookbook featuring 125 recipes.

Here’s a soup recipe that won $5,000 in the McCalls/Sonoma Dried Tomato Recipe Contest, and a summer pasta salad from the World Wide Web.

Neapolitan Vegetable Soup

From the McCall’s/Sonoma Dried Tomatoes Recipe Contest.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, sliced

1/2 cup sliced celery

3 clove garlic, minced

2 cups thinly shredded cabbage

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced sodium chicken broth

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree

1/3 cup dried tomato halves, snipped into quarters with kitchen shears

1 tablespoon prepared basil pesto

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed, drained

Additional grated Romano cheese, if desired

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add cabbage, sugar and red pepper. Cook 3 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

Stir in broth, crushed tomatoes, dried tomatoes, pesto and 1/4 cup cheese. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, adding beans at the end of the cooking time to heat through. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with additional Romano cheese.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 389 calories, 9.3 grams fat (22 percent fat calories), 26 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrate, 7 milligrams cholesterol.

Pasta Salad With Sun-Dried Tomatoes

From The Produce Corner on the World Wide Web (www.wchstv.com/ producecorner/).

4 cups cooked pasta (see note)

1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, cut in half

1 (6-ounce) can sliced ripe pitted olives, drained

1 cup sliced mushrooms, fresh or canned

1 cup dried tomatoes, softened and diced

2 cups broccoli florets, barely cooked

3 sliced green onions

1 teaspoon dried basil

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup Italian dressing

Combine all ingredients and drizzle Italian dressing over top. Toss gently. Serve immediately or chill first.

Yield: 4 main-course servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 193 calories, 4.7 grams fat (22 percent fat calories), 7 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrate, 1 milligram cholesterol, 481 milligrams sodium.

Note: 2 to 2-1/2 cups uncooked pasta makes about 4 cups cooked.

Dear Merri Lou: Recently at a wedding reception, I tasted a wonderful icing on the wedding cake. I was told it was a white chocolate icing, and they would not share the recipe. The icing was not overly sweet; it was almost like whipping cream, but with substance. Can you help locate a white chocolate icing? Hope so - thanks a bunch. - Geri, Harrison, Idaho.

Dear Geri: I tried a number of recipes, all of them very rich. This one uses white baking chocolate, is not super sweet and may be what you’re looking for in an icing.

White Chocolate Frosting

From the American Dairy Association.

6 ounces white chocolate baking squares

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Break chocolate into squares and melt over low heat in small heavy saucepan, stirring constantly, until smooth. Cool completely. Beat cream cheese and butter in small mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in lemon juice, then cooled chocolate. Gradually beat in sugar until frosting is of spreading consistency.

Yield: Frosting for 1 (9-inch) 2-layer cake.

Nutrition information per cup: 485 calories, 33 grams fat (57 percent fat calories), 5 grams protein, 52 grams carbohydrate, 62 milligrams cholesterol, 203 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: Have a food question? Looking for a recipe? Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian in Spokane, would like to hear from you. Write to Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, or e-mail to merrid@spokesman.com. As many letters as possible will be answered in this column; sorry, no individual replies.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Merri Lou Dobler The Spokesman-Review