Pepper

To me, freshly ground pepper is one of the greatest and most underappreciated flavor enhancers around. The Egg Drop Soup is a great example of a low-key dish elevated to real flavor excitement by plenty of fresh ground pepper. The emphasis is on “fresh ground.” Please don’t buy preground pepper. Like many spices, peppercorns lose much of their wonderful aroma within a few minutes after grinding. Black peppercorns are, of course, the most common; when white pepper is specified, it’s for the look of the finished dish. The many varieties of peppercorns do taste different, but you can use any kind in any recipe. Black peppercorns are the immature fruit of a tropical vine native to India and Indonesia that have been dried in the sun to develop their pungent flavor. White peppercorns come from the mature berry, left on the vine until fairly ripe and red in color. The red skin is removed by soaking and rubbing and then the peppercorns are dried. Pink peppercorns are not a true peppercorn, but rather the dried berries of the Baies rose plant, or the pepper rose, grown in Madagascar. Chinese Sichuan pepper also is not a true pepper but comes from a shrub related to the prickly ash tree. It has a sharp tingly taste with a spicy, lemony fragrance. If you have the interest and the counter space, buy several pepper mills, fill them with different peppercorns, and experiment. At home, I use a mixture of peppers in my pepper mill to create a complex marriage of aromas and flavors. Try using a heavier hand with the pepper than you’re used to. I promise: real flavor excitement, not just sneezing, awaits.