Black pepper blooms with small white flowers collected in hanging ears. The fruits of black pepper are spherical drupes with a hard shell, having a burning taste.
The birthplace of black pepper is the southwest coast of India, the current state of Kerala. Previously, these lands were called the land of pepper, and pepper itself was called the Malabar berry.
How to Choose Black Pepper?
When choosing ground black pepper, you should pay attention to the taste and color of the grinding. Fresh seasoning is always sharp and has a strong aroma, as it contains a large amount of piperine and essential oils. The color of high-quality ground pepper is heterogeneous, it consists of particles of light brown, greenish and gray shades. A uniform yellow, gray or black color indicates a large amount of impurities that manufacturers sometimes add to reduce the cost of goods. The black color of ground pepper may also indicate the use of unripe or rotten peas.
How to Store Black Pepper?
Ground pepper is recommended to be stored in a dry and dark place, away from strongly smelling products. Essential oils evaporate especially quickly from the finely ground seasoning, therefore, so that it does not lose its taste qualities, it should be kept in a hermetically sealed container. The room temperature should not exceed +25 °C.
When to Use Black Pepper?
Black pepper is one of the most effective digestive stimulants. This versatile seasoning is able to decorate any dish, starting from ordinary scrambled eggs and ending with masterpieces of haute cuisine. Food manufacturers add this spice to meat and sausage products, cheeses, canned food and marinades.
Spice is a mandatory component of most recipes of meat and fish dishes. It is added to soups and second courses of beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and also used in the preparation of homemade sausage, ham and pates. Seasoning perfectly complements dishes of mushrooms and vegetables, no brine or marinade can do without it. Somewhat less often, black pepper is added to drinks and desserts.
How Much Black Pepper Should I Use?
A standard-sized teaspoon holds about 4 grams of ground black pepper.
When preparing soups and broths, ground pepper is added 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking. When cooking fried dishes, pieces of meat or fish are sprinkled with pepper and salt before roasting. Seasoning is added to the raw minced meat during the stirring process.
The amount of spice depends on the intended volume of the dish and personal preferences.
It is usually customary to use from ¼ to 1 teaspoon per 1 kg of meat. The maximum dose of ground black pepper per day per person should not exceed 5 grams.
What Spices are Combined with Black Pepper?
Despite the fact that in the mind of any person, the phrase “salt and pepper” evokes an image of perfect harmony, a truly wonderful combination is obtained by mixing ground black pepper with turmeric. Curcumin, which is part of it, is similar in its action to piperine — it is also an antiseptic, an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent.
Black pepper is perfectly combined with most spices, and is part of all popular mixes. It harmonizes well with cumin, garlic, coriander, as well as with its closest “relatives” — white, green and pink pepper.
Alternatives to Black Pepper
With individual intolerance to ground black pepper, it can be replaced with spices that have a similar bitter taste — cumin, mustard, coriander seeds, nutmeg. To make the dishes spicy, in the absence of allergies, you can use chili — paprika, cayenne, jalapeno.
Tips for Using Black Pepper
In combination with cinnamon and ginger, ground black pepper is added to desserts to give them a spicy taste. It is especially appropriate for the preparation of gingerbread and cupcakes, chocolate desserts, pies with apple and citrus filling, cookies.
This spice will give a peculiar taste to well—known drinks – it is added to milk tea, compotes, mulled wine and alcoholic cocktails.
To create a light, spicy salad dressing, ground pepper is mixed in various combinations with natural yogurt, honey, mustard, vinegar or lemon juice.
It would seem that not so long ago the multi-day holidays ended, during which many different salads were prepared, light and hearty, puff and portioned! This salad turns out to be simple and delicious.
The dish is prepared very quickly, and for fish lovers it is just a godsend. However, the sauce is also suitable for meat. I also share how I cook a pumpkin side dish, which is not self-sufficient and is great as a side dish.
Tartlets with stuffing are an ideal dish for a buffet or a festive table. As a filling, use cheese and garlic paste with the addition of pieces of mussels, crispy cucumbers and fresh dill, serve in sand baskets.
The most delicate rolls with crispy cucumbers, garlic and onions will become a worthy decoration of the table both on weekdays and on holidays. I advise you to make a double portion right away, since it is impossible to stop.
Remember? On festive tables, including New Year’s, there was always mushroom caviar. It was prepared from dried mushrooms, fresh, salted or mixed mushrooms. The components of the caviar were rolled through a meat grinder. It was amazing. Today I made mushroom caviar from boiled mushrooms with eggplant, onion, carrot and garlic. I will grind it to a homogeneous mass using a combine.
On the festive table, a bird baked in the oven is always welcomed and accepted with a “Hurrah!”. But if duck or goose is not to everyone’s taste, then chicken is the most versatile, beloved by children and adults. And you can always make a salad from the leftovers, which is also important with an abundance of various festive dishes. Today is another option for baking chicken, quick and not troublesome, but very tasty!
Another “exotic” poultry and fruit dish is for supporters of unusual culinary solutions. The original recipe for cooking chicken thighs with pears is also relevant for those who follow the figure!
