NOT JUST A CUP OF COFFEE

Coffee's journey has been a long one, making its way all over the world; starting from Ethiopia, Yemen, Istanbul and  Venice to the royal court of King Louis XIV, where it was made fashionable to drink coffee. The Europeans did give us coffee but it was nothing compared to what the Americans have done in popularising this drink. Now the heavenly aroma of roasting coffee beans, the chemical reaction that occurs when certain amino acids and sugars are exposed to heat, it is nothing short of explosive and soothing.
In a country of heavy tea drinkers, coffee has nudged its way into our lives, making it an almost everyday affair from the instant coffee fix in the morning to the indulgent slow sips of vanilla latte at a café. Coffee might just be a drink that has helped many new relationships and kept old ones afloat… I know what you're thinking and yes it has (in my opinion)!
But is it just a drink? No sir, it is not. Here are a few recipes that would open your eyes to COOKING with coffee.

Brazilian beef stew
Reminiscent of Beef Bourguignon, but with something special. The secret ingredient? Coffee! This is a very precise step-by-step recipe and will be easy to get the stew perfect. You can serve this with rice or a light bean salad.
 

Ingredients
1½ pounds beef, cut into 1½ inch cubes
Dry rub consisting of:
¼ tsp ground white pepper (black is also fine)
¼ tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground allspice (found in Agora, Meena Bazaar, Unimart)
½ tsp salt
Olive oil browning
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1¼ cups strong coffee (1 cup for braising, ¼ cup for finishing)- instant or brewed
¾ cup beef stock
2 bay leaves
2 three-inch pieces of celery (optional)
A pinch of red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
½ cup rich chicken stock (non-salty, do not use Maggi stock)
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1” slices
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
½ cup of coarsely chopped parsley (you can use 2 tbsp of dried parsley)
Juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Pat dry and rub the meat well with the spice and the salt mixture at least twenty minutes before you plan to start cooking. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Sear the meat until a little brown in two or three batches in a heavy pan.  Remove the meat and pour off the juices into the bowl with the meat.
Cook the onions over medium heat, adding a bit more oil if necessary, until translucent (at this point I like to add a little beef bacon, about 3 strips cut up). Then add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about twenty seconds. Push the onions and garlic aside and cook the tomato paste in the clear spot in the pan for about thirty seconds, or until it appears dry. Then deglaze the pan with the beef stock, still over medium heat.
Add one cup of the coffee, the bay leaves, celery, red pepper flakes, and chicken stock, with a good pinch of salt, and stir well to combine. Add the meat to the pot, then cover it tightly and place in the middle of the oven. Cook, without lifting the lid, for about an hour and a half.
Test the meat. If it comes apart easily with a light jab of your fork, take the pot out of the oven. If it doesn't, sample a tiny bite. Is it tender and juicy? If not, let it cook for another fifteen minutes, then test it again. If it's still not done, cover, return to the oven, and test again every fifteen minutes until it is. It's easy to overcook a beef braise, so take care.
Remove the meat and onions from the sauce immediately. Add the carrots to the sauce and cook quickly over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Then add the remaining coffee and turn off the heat.
Knead the butter, sugar and flour together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
Whisk it into the sauce a bit at a time off the heat, then return the pot to the heat and cook for a minute or two until thickened.
Discard the celery pieces and bay leaves, then stir in the parsley and some freshly ground pepper. Return the meat and vegetables to the pot, add the lime juice, and give it a good stir.
N.B. It's important -- especially to prevent the beef from drying out -- not to cut the pieces too small. They'll get smaller with cooking, so don't be afraid to cut them into really large chunks (even 2" or more). It will be so tender that even if the meat ends up being larger than bite-sized, it can easily be cut with a fork. Also, use a good, marbled cut of beef, for the juiciest, tastiest stew. If making this ahead of time, remove the meat from the sauce to let the sauce cool before returning the meat to it for storage. If you don't, the meat will continue to cook, to the loss of the stew.
I used two very small limes, so you may only need one medium or large one. The lime juice cuts the sweetness of the caramelised tomato paste, carrots and onions. Add a bit, stir the stew and taste. Then add more, to taste, if necessary.

BBQ Coffee Sauce Chicken
Winter time is almost here and for obvious reasons, so is the season for barbecues. This is a good recipe to keep for the BBQ just to be a bit different from everyone else. Smoke it, shred it and lather it with coffee BBQ sauce. This can be eaten with tortilla chips, rolled in a parata, or between a burger bun!
Ingredients
Chicken -
1½ pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
Olive oil
Special equipment: Put 2 cups of tea leaves in a disposable aluminum foil baking pan. Or make a thick make shift foil pan by taking a few sheet of foil and bending the edges to make it look like a pan that can hold the tea securely.
For chicken -
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Spread tea leaves in a disposable foil pan. Remove grill racks from barbecue. Place foil pan with tea directly atop hot coals (there should be red hot coal, no flames). Return grill rack to barbecue. Brush chicken with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. When tea begins to smoke, place chicken on grill rack above the tea.
Cover grill and smoke chicken until cooked through, turning occasionally, for about 18 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool slightly. Shred chicken into bite-size strips; place in same bowl. Mix 2½ cups barbecue sauce into chicken.
Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Re-warm chicken in barbecue sauce over medium-low heat before using, adding more barbecue sauce to moisten mixture, if needed.

BBQ sauce with coffee -
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 and 3/4 cups chopped white onions
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp minced seeded chilli
½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tbsp chilli powder
2 tbsp mild-flavoured (light) palm sugar (gur)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 cup freshly brewed strong coffee or 1 tbsp instant  powder dissolved in 1 cup hot water
 

Method:
Heat oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and chilli; sauté until onions are tender, about 7 minutes. Add brown sugar, chilli powder, palm sugar, cilantro, and cumin; stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in crushed tomatoes with puree, broth, and coffee; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to 4 cups, stirring often, for about 35 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Coffee baked beans on toast
Ingredients
4 chillies, diced
1 tin of beans (in water)
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 cup of onion, diced
3½  tbsp of palm sugar or brown sugar
Half a cup of smoked chicken (found in Bengal Meat or White Hen)
1 tbsp of mustard powder
2 over-ripe tomatoes, cut into halves
1½  tbsp instant coffee
1½ cup of water
Method
Begin by lightly frying the onions in a little oil. Then add the smoked chicken and lightly toss until it begins to colour into golden brown. Add the tomatoes, cut side down, the garlic and the mustard powder and fry for a further 2 minutes. Do not allow the onions to burn. Pour in the water and scrape all the flavour up from the bottom of the pan. Pour into a baking pan, add the remaining ingredients, stir gently and place in the oven at 180C for 40 minutes or until all the liquid has reduced.

Serve with crusty toast and top with a little grated Kissan or Cheddar cheese if you like.

Mock tiramisu
I have a recipe for a 'mock' Tiramisu that requires neither mascarpone nor ladyfingers. It's great for when I don't want to spend the extra money for the specialty items required to make a true Tiramisu, and it is quite delicious.
Ingredient
1 pound cake, cut into 1 inch sticks
3 packets instant cappuccino
3 cups cold milk
1 cup cream cheese
One 4-serving size package instant vanilla pudding (available at Unimart)
2 cups whipped cream
Method
Dissolve 2 packets of cappuccino mix into 1½ cups milk. Dip cake sticks into mixture and cover bottom of square cake pan. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in remaining 1½ cups milk until smooth. Add pudding mix and 1 packet of cappuccino mix. Beat on low until blended. Stir in whipped. Spoon over cake. Sprinkle with Milo or Nesquik mixed with a bit of instant coffee. Refrigerate until firm, and then serve.