COCKTAIL RECIPE: Black Pepper Dirty Martini

For those who like things hot and spicy, here’s a variation on the Dirty Martini: Add black pepper heat! You get the salty brine from the olives, and heat from the pepper. You can purchase pepper-infused vodka like Absolut Peppar (photo #2), or infuse plain vodka with peppercorns (instructions below). (Pepper vodka is also great…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Ways To Season Chicken

You don’t want a bland chicken, so dig out the spices and season away! Photo courtesy Butterball.   Barbecue sauce is the number one food that THE NIBBLE receives over the transom (and old publishing expression that means unsolicited). Barbecue sauce is expensive and totally unnecessary. Our mother rotisseried a wonderfully delicious, plump bird several…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Filling A Pepper Mill

We didn’t heed our own device when refilling the pepper mill yesterday. The result: peppercorns all over the counter and floor. There’s a better way to do it: Fill a small plastic bag or even a paper envelope with the peppercorns. Snip off a corner. You’ll be able to better aim the peppercorns into the…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Filling A Peppermill

Tellicherry, the “Champagne” of black peppersorns. Photo by B.A. Van Sise | THE NIBBLE. There’s no question that freshly-ground pepper delivers exciting flavor, while pre-ground pepper tends to be flat. That’s because the grinding process releases aromatic and palate-pleasing qualities that begin to dry out after they’re released. The spicy heat derives largely from the…
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FOOD FACTS: The Difference Between Herbs & Spices

From its dawn, mankind has sought herbs and spices to flavor food and to cure ills. Ancient travelers brought them back from foreign lands. Given the long and treacherous journey, imported spices and herbs were costly, beyond the reach of the common man. Some spices were often used as currency: 3,000 pounds of peppercorns, the…
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