Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, finely-chopped
- 1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
- 3 cloves garlic, minced – 1 reserved for use in final minutes of cooking
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder – TFD prefers Gebhardt’s
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano (NOT Mexican)
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp. freshly-ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground cloves
- 3/4 tsp. freshly-ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. freshly-grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. bay leaf powder
- 2 cups homemade chicken broth (strongly preferred) or low-salt canned
- 16 oz. organic tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. organic tomato paste
- 2 tsp. dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 2 lbs. ground beef (preferably 85/15)
- ***
- Cooked spaghetti for serving
- Shredded Cheddar cheese, dark red kidney beans, finely-chopped purple onions, hot sauce and oyster crackers for serving
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in chocolate, 2 cloves of the minced garlic, and all the spices (including the chili powder) until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, tomato sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir in beef and bring to boil. Reduce heat to the lowest-possible simmer and simmer 2 hours or until thickened to your liking. In the last ten minutes of cooking, add the last clove of minced garlic. Remember it is supposed to be relatively thin! Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti with desired toppings.
