Name: Cafe Excellence Sumatra Coffee Turkey Chili
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American Homestyle
Ingredients: For the Spice Mixture:; 1 generous teaspoon each: coriander, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano and thyme, salt; 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper; 1 cinnamon stick; 2-3 bay leaves; For Preparing the Chili:; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 stalks celery, chopped; 2-3 jalapeno or habanero chiles, seeded, chopped, or any other hot chili pepper to desired heat; 1/2 red pepper, seeded, chopped; 1/2 green pepper, seeded, chopped; 1/2 yellow pepper, seeded, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 2 six ounce cans tomato paste; 3 pounds ground turkey; 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine; 1 3/4 cups measured, brewed Cafe Excellence; 1 35 ounce can whole tomatoes with liquid, mashed or chopped coarse; 1 12 ounce can lager beer; 1 14 ounce can beef broth; 2 fifteen ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 2 fifteen ounce cans pinto beans in Tex Mex sauce (Kuners brand may be found in Hispanic sections of supermarkets); grated cheese for topping; cilantro leaves for garnish

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Cafe Excellence Sumatra Coffee Turkey Chili

Lively tastes with exciting spiced flavor combinations is the trend of today and using coffee and chocolate in the preparation of Chili may be considered among these.

Many ethnic dishes of ages past now emerge appearing as something new, merely by introduction, and a public with a greater willingness to experience something unknown and possibly embrace it.

Using both coffee and chocolate in Chili has actually been used for quite a long time, and perhaps even in the early days of Cowboys and Vaquero’s riding the terrains and mountainous regions along the old southwest. And why not add a bit of the day’s brew left over in the silver tin to provide some moisture to the content base while filling food provisions into big round iron pot hanging right over the burning campfire.

The addition of coffee and chocolate in Chili is not as apparent by distinctive flavor as the complexity it lends to the dish, particularly in combination with a variety of spices. It is only a matter of willingness to experience something unknown and possibly embrace it.

Last week on the Blog we shared a generational feature story of the Valerio Family and their journey from early pioneer purveyors in the coffee business to micro roasters of fine specialty coffees today. You can read the post on Café Excellence here. Well, you might imagine that while writing an article on coffee that the aromas and flavors might just mesmerize you into preparing a cup of hot steamy brew for yourself, it does.

Sipping one of the Café Excellence Chief Bean Officer, Anthony Valerio’s newest blends, Onyx Sumatra Cayo, a micro lot from coffee beans picked at 3700 feet sea level, also inspired preparation of a big pot of chili using a little less than a couple of cups of freshly brewed smooth black beverage combined with an ounce of chopped bittersweet chocolate.

Was it as good as that chili possibly prepared on an open campfire by the cowboys and vaqueros of the old southwest, well, I reckon it was, who knows if their coffee beans too had come from a high sea level over the borders of Mexico, but one thing is certain, we now get coffee excellence in our own local micro roaster.

Since spiced flavors are the trend of today I’ve provided a recipe with a spice combination of medium heat, allowing room for added spice and chili pepper amounts as your heart or taste buds desire, and for the coffee I’m sticking with the Café Excellence, Onyx Sumatra Cayo, after all, it really began with a willingness to experience something unknown.

And to incorporate something new, Cafe Excellence Sumatra Coffee Turkey Chili.