Instructions: The bottom layer is always spaghetti, the thickest you can find. If you have trouble, try using long, thin macaroni like perciatelli. Break into 4" pieces, boil in salted water to which oil has been added. For a touch o swank, melt a stick of sweet butter into the just-cooked noodles before you dish them out. You will need about 2-3oz per serving. You want them soft enough to cut easily with a fork, but not so soft they lose their oomph.

Remember, they are the support layer for four other ingredients. Spread them out to cover the bottom of a small oval plate. Ladle on the chili, enough to cover the noodles. Wash kidney beans and heat with 2c water, then drain. Spoon a sparce layer atop the chili. Spread onions over beans.

Quickly (so it melts) spread cheese to cover everything. Dont skimp.

Cheese should completely blanket the plate, enough so that you can pat it into a neat mound with your hands, just the way they do in Cincinnati.

Variations: 3-Way or 4-Way: Omit either beans or onions, or both.

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