1 lb. chuck, ground fine
2 med. onions, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. tomato sauce
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 c. water
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. honey
1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, grated
1/2 ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. Allspice
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. mace
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 dry bay leaf, crumbled
1 tsp. salt

Salt a large cast iron skillet. Turn heat to medium and add meat, onions and garlic. Cook until meat is browned. Add tomato sauce, ketchup, water and vinegar. As mixture begins to boil, add everything else. Adjust spices to taste, adding more salt if it needs perking up, more cinnamon, cloves and mace if you want it sweeter, more chocolate for body. Cover and simmer at very low heat for about one hour, stirring and tasting occasionally, adding tomato juice if it's getting too dry to ladle up easily.

Constructing the chili:

8 oz. very thick spaghetti
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans
2 onions, chopped
1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated fine and fluffy.

The bottom layer is always spaghetti. Break it into 4 inch pieces and boil in salted water with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Melt some butter into just cooked noodles. Cover several plates( oval ones are traditional) with spaghetti. Ladle on enough chili to cover the spaghetti. Wash and heat kidney beans with 2 cups of water, then drain. Spoon a sparse layer of the beans atop the chili. Spread onions out, to taste, over the beans. Quickly, so it will melt, spread lots of grated cheese to cover everything. Serves 4