Black
pepper is available whole, crushed or ground into powder. Ensure best flavor, purchase
whole peppercorns and grind them yourself in a mill just before adding to a
recipe. In addition to superior flavor, buying whole peppercorns will help to
ensure that you are purchasing unadulterated pepper since ground pepper is
oftentimes mixed with other spices. Whole peppercorns should be heavy, compact
and free of any blemishes.
Even
through dried herbs and spices like black pepper are widely available in
supermarkets, you may want to explore the local spice stores in your area.
Oftentimes, these stores feature an expansive selection of dried herbs and
spices that are of superior quality and freshness than those offered in regular
markets. Just like with other dried spices, when purchasing black pepper try to
select that which is organically grown since this will give you more assurance
that it has not been irradiated, among other potential adverse effects,
irradiating black pepper may lead to a significant decrease in its vitamin C
content.
Black
pepper should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and
dry place. Whole peppercorns will keep almost indefinitely, while ground pepper
will stay fresh for about three months. Pepper can also be frozen although this
will make its flavor more pronounced.
Research
Source: WH Foods
This
is comfort food from my childhood. It’s beautiful, quick, and simple homemade
Chicken Noodle Soup.
Quick
Chicken Noodle Soup
Copyrighted
2013, Christine’s Pantry. All rights reserved.
Ingredients:
2
tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2
large carrots, chopped
1
onion, chopped
salt
and pepper, to taste
2
(32 oz.) container chicken broth
2
1/2 cups wide egg noodles, uncooked
2
pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces
1
teaspoon minced garlic
2
bay leaves
chopped
parsley, garnish
Directions:
In
a large soup pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add carrots, onions, salt and
pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Add egg
noodles, stir, and cook according to package directions. Then add chicken
pieces, garlic and bay leaves, cook 4 to 5 minutes, until noodles are tender
and chicken cooked through. Garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Chicken noodle soup is one of my favorite comfort foods. :)
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