Potent Peppercorns Add Spice to Food

By Barbara J. Avery

(Originally published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)

We grew up with it: the pepper shaker on the dining table. Just as we take salt for granted, pepper is now seen as merely another player in a packet at the fast food restaurant. 

Peppercorns, the parents of black pepper, have a long, important history, and have been used for at least 3,000 years.  It was so valuable to the cultures of ancient times that the Romans warded off an attack of the Visigoths by offering a tribute to them that included 3,000 pounds of peppercorns.  The valuable peppercorn stimulated European exploration as Columbus, Magellan, and others hoped to discover the spice as much as they desired to discover gold.

Today, we use pepper freely to enhance the flavor of our food.  We use black pepper, the most popular spice in America today.  From the same plant, chefs use green, brined peppercorns that add  flavor to dishes that is more subtle than the black variation.  White pepper ( black pepper without its skin) seasons dishes that need a milder flavor and a colorless pepper.  Pink and red peppercorns add their own character to cooking.  Pink peppercorns are actually not a pepper at all, but a dried Basies bush berry.

Here’s a special way to prepare steak using green peppercorns.

Steak with Dijon Peppercorn Sauce

4, 8 oz. 1-inch thick strip steaks

2 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons grape seed oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons shallots, chopped

2 tablespoons brined green peppercorns

2 tablespoons Marsala

1/2 cup fat free half and half

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Place beef broth in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high. Cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high. Add grape seed oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add steaks to skillet and cook 2 minutes per side. Heat to medium and cook to desired degree of doneness. Transfer to heated platter. Cover and keep warm.

To pan, add 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and melt over medium heat. Add shallots and green peppercorns.  Saute 1 minute. Add Marsala and simmer for one minute. Add reduced broth and fat free half and half. Gently boil until reduced to a thick sauce consistency stirring frequently, scraping up brown bits. Stir in mustard and horseradish. Spoon sauce over steaks.  Serve hot.