Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350-400.

2. Measure out all the spices and set them aside in a bowl.

3. Take one pound of defrosted ground beef in an oven-safe pot or pan with a lid. Put it on a burner on low-medium. Finely chop a pound of bacon and add it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add vinegar and water. Stir everything together in the pan, cover with a lid, put in the oven. Braise until it's cooked through.

5. While braising the meat, start cooking the spaghetti by bringing a pot of salted water to boil. As water comes to a boil, mince 1 onion, peel and crush the garlic. Finely chop scallions and set aside in an oven-safe bowl.

6. When water is boiling, add the spaghetti and cook until al-dente (check the package for specific instructions). Reduce heat and bring water to a gentle boil.

7. Remove the meat from the oven, put it on the stove over medium-low heat and remove the lid. Stir in the garlic and onion, then mix in the spices.

8. Add half of the soy sauce and tomato puree. Continue to cook down until the chili thickens (about 10 min), stir occasionally to prevent the bottom of the pan from burning. Meanwhile, turn the oven off, and put in the bowl of chopped scallions. We want to warm them gently to ease a little of their bite and do not not cook them completely through.

9. While the Chili is simmering, add a generous big spoonful of the chili and the rest of the soy sauce directly to the pasta water. Bring pasta back to a rolling boil then drain the pasta. I like preparing a bowl with a couple of ice cubes to put the cooked pasta in, to prevent it from becoming a starchy mess while plating.

10. When chili is done and noodles are ready, place noodles, add chili on top, add a generous amount of shredded cheddar on top, and then garnish generously with the gently heated chopped scallions on top of the cheese.