This time of year, I start dreaming of a vacation in the tropics, and especially of Brazil, where I once spent three months living in the the Afro-Brazilian city of Salvador da Bahia. During that time, the historic city was warming up for the week-long bacchanalia known as Mardi Gras, and every weekend, there was another street party and parade offering an endless stream of food, drink and music.
If you’re also hearing samba drums in your head, check out the contest recently launched by Peet’s Coffee & Tea. If you go to peetscoffee.com, answer a few questions about the Monte Alegre coffee estate outside of Rio de Janiero, you could win a trip that estate in the Coffee Valley outside of Rio, plus a side trip to Sao Paulo.
There will be three, grand-prize winners who will fly down to Rio in early July 2012. The grand prize winners will be announced during the week of April 2.
Here’s a recipe from Almir Da Fonseca of Sebastopol for a coffee-based barbecue sauce. Da Fonseca is a native of Brazil who now serves as an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena.
Brazilian Barbecue Sauce
Makes 2 cups
1 cup ketchup
½ cup water
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 dashes Tabasco sauce
Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Drizzle over grilled beef.
