I'm forever intrigued lately with the everyday things. With things we use, or see, or do day in, day out that we take for granted and don’t put much thought into because they're just there and always have been.

Pepper is one of those things.

You probably grew up with it being in your life in some way whether you paid alot of attention to it or not. Was it in a shaker on the table? Or even just those little packets of powdery dust at school?

Honestly, I didn't really give too much attention to it myself until I started cooking.

It’s fascinating to me how something so seemingly simple can completely surprise in so many ways - and let me tell you, pepper does that for me to this day.

I wrote a post a while ago all about spices and it's really been over the last few years that I even knew there was so many different kinds of pepper to choose from. Very much like wine, depending on where it comes from it can have a completely different flavour.

And more real talk, it wasn't until I had the idea of writing this post that I actually figured out the process involved to get different kinds of pepper or that certain ones aren't even peppercorns at all.

You can think you know something because it's familiar but learning more can completely change how you see it.

This is why cooking is so important to me. It has the power to nourish in so many ways. It has the power to reconnect us to the food we eat and in that to the nature that surrounds us. It also has the power to connect us to the the hands that grow. The hands that harvest. And that matters just as much - if not more.

In my research for this piece I of course went down a rabbit hole of history and pretty much to find all the fun facts I didn't know about pepper. For instance, did you know that at one time it was used to pay rent? Or that white pepper is just black pepper that's been soaked in water to remove the skins and the colour?

The other thing I devoured while on my pepper information gathering was this fascinating podcast called Taste of Place which dives deeper into the power of pepper and the meaning it carries for so many. For some it means family, for others it’s a clear memory of having pepper plants growing in the backyard. Again, how special is it that one seemingly simple ingredient can mean so much to so many?

The two questions the host asked on every episode that I loved were;

What does pepper mean to you?

When was the first time you learned where pepper actually came from?

And again for me, the first question didn't really mean much to me until my 20s when I started cooking and realized how essential it could be to adding flavour and all the possibilities that were there by using different kinds. As a main ingredient in something like Cacio e Pepe, or to take your steak to the next level in with Steak au Poivre, and maybe to give that slight numbing sensation that is in so much Sechuan cooking.

The second question probably took me a little longer to learn. But let me tell you I'm so happy to live in a time where we can be brought closer to the people that produce ingredients. If you want to see how pepper is grown and harvested, check out Diaspora Co's Instagram. It’s one of my favourites and I daydream about all the places I’ll soon visit to seen how things are made/harvested in real life!

So if you're like me and just learning about all the varieties and possibilities that pepper has, let's dive into some pepper 101:

• Black Pepper: : Black pepper is made from unripe pepper berries that are dried with the outer skin on, thus giving these peppercorns a wrinkly, blackened appearance after you ferment and process them. The pepper plant is native to India and is said to have originated from Kerala, where alot of pepper is currently grown and produced however you can find different varieties of pepper all over the world. I love it because you get a slightly different flavour depending on where it comes from. Have some fun and buy a couple different kinds to have a taste test and see if you can notice the nuances in flavour. Black pepper is an everyday staple I have ready to grind over everything. I will also grind it with a mortar and pestle to get a coarser texture and use it to crust meat or in a spice blend if I want the pepper to shine a little more.

• White Pepper: White pepper is prepared from the fully ripe peppercorns. The berries are kept under running water for 7 to 9 days to soften their skins. After scrubbing off the skins, the white peppercorns are washed and dried. White pepper is mainly used in dishes where you want the flavour but not the colour of pepper. White pepper has a mellower flavour and I use it mostly in soups, sauces or salad dressings

• Green Pepper: Green pepper is made from the fully developed but immature berries. They are usually preserved in brine, vinegar or citric acid so they stay soft which makes them great for using whole in sauces or stews. Because the are under ripe berries they tend to have a fresher flavour.

• Pink Pepper: Contrary to what their name might tell you about them, pink peppercorns aren't *actually* a peppercorn. In reality, they are dried, berries from a tree. Brazilian pepper trees and Peruvian pepper trees. The only reason that they're named as a peppercorn is because they are similar to peppercorns in shape and flavour — at the end of the day, these bright, tiny balls are nothing more than a humble berry.

• Sichuan Pepper: Another peppercorn that isn’t really a peppercorn. Sichuan peppercorns are a spice produced from the husks of seeds of two species of the prickly ash shrub, which is in the rue or citrus family. The pinkish-red husks around the seeds are used for the Sichuan peppercorn spice, while the inner black seed is discarded as it is too gritty and would be sand-like when eaten. Sichuan peppercorns can be used whole or ground into powder and are known for giving you a slight numbing sensation when cooking with them. Obviously they’re common in Sichuan cuisine - I love them in Cumin Lamb or Mapo Tofu (link’s below for a few recipes to try).

And as I’ve said many times before, ingredients matter so get the best you can find and your cooking will be instantly better. I mentioned a few of my favourite spice producers in my For The Love of Spice post so have a look there to find all kinds of pepper options!

What’s Cooking This Week: Steak au Poivre & Cacio e Pepe

My very first job was as a busgirl one of the fancier restaurants in town. 

It was the kind of place where there were a few things prepared table side. Which - I don't know why more restaurants don't still do that more now that I'm thinking about it. It's so fun to see your food made right in front of you, am I right? 

The three things I remember vividly; Caesar Salad, Crepe Suzette and Steak au Poivre. 

I remember being fascinated how it all came together. I remember every detail of the wooden cart we'd have to set up with all the ingredients and tools before it would get rolled out to the table. How excited the customers got when they would see part of their meal being prepared in front to their eyes. And then how excited we all got when there'd be some extras left in the Caesar Salad bowl or some sauce in the pan that would get swiped clean with warm bread. 

These memories have stuck with me over years. And I still make these dishes at home regularly - well maybe not the crepes but this has got me thinking it might be time to revive them. 

I most often make this with beef tenderloin but you can serve it with most steaks; ribeye or new york strip would work great (I'd slice these then drizzle the sauce over top)

Steak au Poivre

• 1 3/4 cups beef broth

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 4 6-8 ounce filet mignon steaks (each about 1 inch thick)

• 1/4 cup minced shallots

• 1 cup whipping cream

• 3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy

• 2 tablespoons drained green peppercorns in brine

Boil the stock in small saucepan until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plate (do not clean skillet).

Add chopped shallots to same skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Add the Cognac and reduce slightly, scraping all the meaty bits off the bottom of the pan. Add reduced beef stock, cream and green peppercorns. Squish the peppercorns slightly with a fork to release the flavour into the sauce. Simmer until mixture thickens to sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over steaks and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Cacio e Pepe

Now here’s a recipe that gives pepper centre stage. It’s something I make often when I come home from travelling and haven’t had time to hit the grocery store. I love that I can always make something delicious with a few simple ingredients. You can grind the pepper or if you want to try a coarser option, smash it up with your mortar and pestle. To get the creamiest sauce, add some pasta water to the butter and let it come to a simmer before you add the pasta. Like all my recipes, this is just a guideline. Adjust as you like, use different pasta, and because pepper is what we’re talking about today, buy some different kinds and experiment to see which you like best!

Cacio e Pepe

• 8 ounces uncooked pasta - I like bucatini or spaghetti

• 2 tablespoons butter, diced into 1-tablespoon chunks

• 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground coarse black pepper

• 1/2 cup finely-grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

• salt to taste

Boil the pasta water. In a large stockpot, bring your water to a boil. Season generously with salt.

Bloom the pepper. Meanwhile, as the pasta water heats, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pepper and let it cook for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat.

Cook the pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is just barely al dente.

Add some pasta water to your sauce. Take about half a cup of pasta water from the pot and add about 1/4 cup to the butter mixture. Bring to a simmer and reduce until slightly thickened.

Toss the pasta. Use tongs to quickly transfer the pasta directly to the sauté pan. Add in half of the cheese and toss the pasta briefly to coat. Add in the remaining half of the cheese and continue tossing the pasta, adding in a few more tablespoons pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce, until the cheese is melted and forms a smooth and glossy sauce. Taste and season with salt and more pepper as needed.

Serve. Serve the pasta immediately, garnished with an extra twist of black pepper and/or extra cheese if desired. This pasta is definitely best served hot out of the pan, so dive in asap!

And if you’d like to try some Sichuan pepper recipes:

Cumin Lamb or Mapo Tofu - these are a few that are on regular rotation for me using sichuan peppercorns.

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