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Pepper steak: One of the exciting recipes in Christine McFadden's Pepper

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."

Research, including travelling to Europe and India, has revealed what she describes as "the power of pepper" and she shares it all - and delicious recipes - in her new book, Pepper.

She says: "Pepper is indirectly responsible for the shape of the world that we know today. Such was its value that intrepid explorers set out on awesome voyages in search of it. Fortunes were built on pepper, bloody battles fought over it, and the New World discovered because of it. Pepper was literally the power behind many a throne."

Christine's book contains winter warmers such as roasted root soup with sizzled ginger and black pepper creme fraiche; lemon pepper plaice with chilli, black pepper rice, and increasingly popular quirky desserts such as strawberry and black pepper ice cream.

One of her favourite recipes (right) is a classic steak au poivre (pepper steak) which "allows the pepper to really shine".

Using pepper Black pepper: Most dishes can be improved by black pepper but it truly enhances red meat, game and fish such as sardines and mackerel. Try a few aromatic black flakes in a leafy salad or with sliced tomatoes: "The simplest dressing is made with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, sea salt and cracked black pepper."

White pepper: Its clean peppery hit gives flavour to light-coloured sauces, soups and mayonnaise. She sometimes combines white, for bite, with black, for aroma.

Green peppercorns: Fresh-tasting and pungent, and also slightly lemony. They lack the strength of white and the aroma of black, but complement both.

If you need an excuse to party, Chinese new year begins on February 7 and lasts for 15 days to launch the year of the rat.

During the celebration, food plays a large role, and many dishes consumed during this time have symbolic meanings for the new year.

Noodles represent longevity, a fish served whole represents prosperity, eggs represent fertility, and lotus seed represents fertility for male offspring. Eggrolls represent wealth, peanuts longevity, tangerines good luck and oranges wealth.

Ensure what you drink is authentic. Harbin's brewers say it is China's oldest beer, and this medium-bodied premium lager is brewed with Chinese and European hops, old-world style yeast and select grains.

Harbin beer is currently available in 330 and 600ml bottles and is stocked in high-end style bars and restaurants. It's also sold in Sainsbury and Morrisons, 330ml from £1.20, and 600ml from £1.91.

Although 73 per cent of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, the majority of women would actually prefer a good bottle of wine, according to a recent poll.

Try treating a loved one to the appropriately named San Valentin after the saint.

Torres San Valentin wine is 100 per cent Parellada, a delicate traditional Catalan white variety. It won't break the bank; a bottle of Torres San Valentin will set you back £4.99 from Morrisons stores countrywide.

In season this month are mussles. They're cheap and plentiful. In the wild, they grow on coastline rocks and stones but they are also farmed off suitable coastal waters. If you do collect your own mussels, make sure the waters are unpolluted and avoid hunting for them in the warmer weather as mussels are only in season where there is an r' in the month.

Ingredients

2 sirloin steak

1tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying

1tbsp black peppercorns,

cracked and sieved

1tbsp white peppercorns, cracked and sieved

Sea salt flakes to taste

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. Serves two Cook's note: Trim away excess fat if you prefer. However a half-inch (1cm) 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 one-and-a-quarter-inch (3cm) 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.

Bring to the boil, bubble down until thickened, then pour over the steaks.

Christine McFadden 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."

10:08am Friday 15th February 2008

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