Cuba provides the kick, Colombia the side
When my wife and I moved to Key West, Fla., in the 1970s, we quickly adopted the customs of the locals, said Norman Van Aken in Norman Van Aken’s Florida Kitchen (Univ. Press of Florida). Of course, not all locals have the same customs. South Florida is a glorious mix of cultures—Puerto Rican, Cuban, Colombian. Throughout my career, I’ve taken inspiration from those many cuisines as I’ve developed the dishes served at my restaurants.
People in Miami and the Keys drink Cuban coffee every morning, a pick-me-up brewed in a sock-like open sieve, and I owe it to the sight of the loose grounds that I remembered, and created a variation on, a coffeebased spice rub that a Texas friend once whipped up. The thought of grilled steak in turn brought to mind Colombia’s papas chorreadas—potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce that might be put to even better use on the accompanying side of cauliflower, another vegetable that “adores cheese.” 1½ tbsp kosher salt 1 tbsp granulated (white or raw) sugar 1 tbsp brown sugar 1½ tbsp granulated garlic 1 heaping tsp cracked black pepper ¼ tsp each ground cayenne, ground cumin,
and smoked pimentón
About 1 hour before cooking, place steaks on a cutting board; with a sharp knife, make some incisions in the meat. Rub 2 tbsp coffee mixture all over each steak, working it into the slits. Season with more kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Let stand 1 hour. Heat outdoor grill to high. Grill steaks about 4 minutes per side, until nicely crisp outside and medium-rare inside. Remove to a carving board; let rest 5 minutes. Cut along bone, then carve meat into slices crosswise to the bone. Serves 4.