Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed beverages around the world, and for good reason! It is so diverse in terms of its application, from a simple espresso through to all sorts of uses in the kitchen. Something that is often overlooked is how it can be used in savoury dishes, so we're focusing on that today! Whether you're looking for delicious mid-week meal inspiration or dishes to cook on the weekend, we've got you covered. 

Make A Coffee & Balsamic Glaze

Firstly, a wonderful way to enjoy coffee in your savoury dishes is to make a coffee and balsamic glaze. The coffee brings a rich and earthy flavour, which compliments the acidity of the balsamic vinegar, then the sweetness helps to tie everything together. From salads to grilled vegetables, meat dishes, pizza and everything in between, you can put it on literally everything and it's so delicious. 

All you need to do is combine 4 tablespoons of espresso, 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 4 tablespoons of syrup and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Combine in a saucepan and cook on a low heat for around 7 minutes, until thick and glossy. Store in a sterilized air tight jar or an old squeezy bottle you have from other salad dressings. 

Use Grounds In Your Meat Marinades 

Another great way to utilise coffee in your savoury recipes and to reduce waste is to use grounds in your meat marinades. There are three different benefits of this, which are that it helps to enhance the flavour and bring out earthy tones, the acidity in the coffee helps to break down muscle fibres and tenderise the meat, then when you cook the meat the grounds create a lovely crust. This is especially great with steak or ribs, so we'd definitely recommend giving this a go, particularly for your next BBQ. 

All you need to do is add 1tbsp of coffee grounds to every 3 tablespoons of alternative seasonings you're using. Of course, this will only work if you have an electric coffee grinder, and we'd recommend going for a medium-fine grind for this (with models like the DF54 grinder you get good flexibility over grind size). You might also have a hand grinder which works great. So, if you were to combine 1tbsp smoked paprika, 1tbsp fresh garlic and 1tbsp black pepper for 4 steaks, you'd add 1 tbsp coffee grounds. Give this a go and you won't look back! 

Add To Liquid Marinades

Along with adding grounds to your meat marinades, you can also add espresso! If you're not going to be searing the meat, then it's best to use espresso instead of the grounds, as you won't benefit from that crust and it could make the texture slightly strange. You can follow the same ratio with 3 tablespoons of marinade to 1 tablespoon of espresso, for a delicious twist to any classic marinade. 

A delicious way to enjoy this is to create a marinade with 1tbsp espresso, 1tsp garlic, 1tsp ginger, 1tbsp miso, 1tbsp mirin and 1tbsp soy sauce and 1tbsp brown sugar. Then, combine in a bowl and add chicken thighs or breasts for a delicious Japanese marinated chicken recipe. 

Add It To Your Slow Cooked Beef Dishes

Last but not least, we've briefly touched on this, but steak and coffee just compliment each other perfectly. One of the easiest ways to bring out the best flavour in your meals is to add espresso to your slow cooked beef dishes! As we mentioned, the acidity in the coffee helps to tenderise the meat, then the rich, roasted flavour of the coffee compliments the savoury taste in the meat. 

So, no matter what you're making, whether it's a slow cooked beef ragu, a chilli con carne, or a meat curry, throw some espresso in and it'll blow your mind.