The Food Gatherer's Note: Inspired by my trip to The London Coffee Festival at the Truman Brewery my eyes have been opened to the subtleties and variations of coffee. Here's a creative use of the bean as a spice blend for meat, well beef really. This would work very well rubbed into a thick t-bone steak before grilling, or beef short ribs before slow cooking and what an aroma! The rub can be prepared ahead and kept for about a month in an airtight container.
Coffee Rub
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Turkish chilli flake pepper (Pul Biber/ Aleppo)
2 tablespoons finely ground coffee beans
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
To prepare:
Mix all the ground ingredients together. If you haven't got a grinder, pop everything in a bag and bash the life out of it with a rolling pin - very therapeutic! Rub the mix into the meat and leave it to sit for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.