MALIBU WAY OF LIFE
By Jody Stump
There’s a tribe in the high Andes that believes that to look forward is to see into the past, and since the future cannot be seen, it is behind them. Although I cannot wrap my Western mind around this 180-degree flip in perspective, I think of it as “everything old is new again.” I’ve felt that way since reading the latest news about coffee last week.
In the ’80s, I almost abandoned my rapturous morning response to the siren call of a cuppa joe after scientists blamed the beverage for dozens of ailments, from stomach ulcers to dick-y hearts. The alarms were so frightening and widespread in the United States that between 1984 and 1988, coffee consumption dropped 15 percent and was showing signs of a long death spiral until along came a savior in Howard Schultz. It was about that time that he transformed a sleepy bean retailer into the specialty coffee giant that today serves every 12th cup of coffee in the country. Last year, more people drank coffee-and at a higher daily average rate-than at any time in our history. And it turns out, that’s good news for our health and our psyches.
Coffee in moderate amounts-three to four cup a day-not only makes most of us feel better, but it nourishes our bodies in ways science never anticipated. Rather than killing us slowly with caffeine and acids, the antioxidants and chemical compounds in coffee help stave off disease and depression. A summary of the latest findings is listed below the recipe, but I can’t help thinking about seeing the future through a lens into our past. Did you know it was Ben Franklin who recommended a cuppa day? Enjoy-for your health!
Cowboy short ribs
Serves 4 – 6
When we think of coffee as a solid food, we usually think “sweet dessert.” Coffee is wonderful as tiramisu, mud pie and even summer’s easiest confection, granita, but coffee shines as a meat marinade. The acidity breaks down tough tendons and the slight bitterness cuts the icky-sweetness of honey-based barbecue sauces. I dump a spoonful of instant espresso into brisket and rub some into steak along with a spicy garlic rub before grilling.
This mellow version of short ribs has a bite in back. I found the recipe in an old, battered copy of Gourmet. It is said to be the dish that made Houston’s Café Annie a destination dining spot. Served over cheesy grits
or creamy polenta, the
ribs would lure any
cowboy home from the
range.
2 tsp. dried ancho chilies, soaked 20 minutes in 2 c. boiling water
1 onion, chunked
3 tsp. minced garlic
1 small can chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
4 tbsp. maple syrup
6 lb. beef short ribs
1 tbsp. oil or lard
1 cup strong coffee
1. Set oven at 350 – degrees.
2. Drain the soaking chiles and taste the water. If bitter, discard; otherwise use as braising liquid.
3. Puree the chiles with all the other ingredients up to the beef.
4. Add a pinch of salt, to taste.
5. Rub the ribs with salt and pepper. Brown in oil in batches. Transfer to a roasting pan large enough to hold all the ribs in a single layer.
6. Very carefully, stir the chile puree in the hot fat for 5 or 6 minutes. It will spit at you – forgive it. Add the coffee and 1- 1/ 2 cups braising liquid or water. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Pour over the meat.
7. Cover with foil and braise until tender-3 to 4 hours. Let cool and chill several hours or over night. Skim off the fat solids, reheat and serve with the pan juices.