A Passion For Pepper (from Scene South)

Shake that pepper, grind those corns, but whatever you do don't take this common seasoning for granted.

It's led one woman on an adventure across the world to discover its intriguing secrets and power.

Christine McFadden first became fascinated with the spice as a child and at that time "couldn't imagine why grown ups sprinkled this stuff on their food" but it took the discovery of an Indian peppercorn to trigger a lifelong passion.

She says: "Like most people I used to take pepper for granted not questioning where it came from, how it grew or why some peppercorns were white and some black, while green ones were unheard of!

"But the breakthrough came in the Eighties when I unearthed a pepper from Kerala in south-west India - far from the dull pepper I'd experienced before, this was a taste sensation with tremendous depth like good wine."

Her book contains winter warmers like Roasted Root Soup With Sizzled Ginger and Black Pepper Creme Fraiche, to Lemon Pepper Plaice with Chilli, Black Pepper Rice, or increasingly popular quirky desserts such as Strawberry and Black Pepper Ice Cream.

One of her favourite recipes is a classic Steak au Poivre (Pepper Steak) which "allows the pepper to really shine".

Method: Put the steaks in a shallow dish in which they will fit in a single layer. Pour over the tablespoon of olive oil and rub this all over the meat.

Coat on both sides with the peppercorns, pressing them firmly into the meat. Cover and leave at room temperature for at least an hour, turning the steaks once.

When you're ready to cook, brush a heavy-based frying pan with a film of oil and place over very high heat. Crumble some sea salt flakes over the steaks and quickly slip them into the pan.

Sear them on each side for about one minute, then reduce the heat slightly and carry on cooking for another one to two minutes depending on how you like your steaks.

Cook's note: Trim away excess fat if you prefer. However a 1cm/1/2in margin left along the outer edge can be temptingly appetising. If you decide to leave the fat in place, cut through it (and the membrane separating the fat from the meat) at 3cm/1 1/4in intervals to prevent the steaks from buckling during cooking.

Variation: For a retro experience, cook the steaks as above, using green peppercorns instead of black and white, and adding a generous knob of butter after the steaks have sizzled on each side.

Allow the butter to foam and brown slightly, then remove the steaks to a warm plate. Remove excess fat from the pan then deglaze over high heat with a generous splash of cognac. Set light to the cognac then swirl in the best part of a small pot of cream and any juices from the steaks.

Christine says: "Those of a certain age might remember the Peter Evans Eating House in London where the treat of the week would invariably include prawn cocktail, steak au poivre with cream sauce, followed by Black Forest gateau."

Pepper, by Christine McFadden, is published by Absolute Press, £25. Out now.

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