Pepperberries are more
versatile than conventional peppercorn, able to be used in sweet and
savoury dishes. The leaves, stems and berries have an aromatic peppery
taste producing approx. 3 times the anti-oxidants of blueberries.
Native birds, such as the Black Currawong, eat the berries.
Tasmannia
lanceolata is usually a compact 2 metre bushy shrub but can grow to 10
metres tall. Leaf stalks and young stems are red; its leaves are
hairless, green, thick, and elliptical in shape.
Plants are
either male or female, with sexually-distinct flowers found in umbels at
the base of the new season's growth. Both sexes have tiny
cream-coloured flowers with narrow oblanceolate petals. The male
flower has many stamens; the female flower has 2-lobed ovary.
Flowering occurs in mid-Spring in the southern hemisphere
(October-November). The ripened fruit (March-June) is a pea-sized
2-lobed lustrous deep-purple, almost black, berry with many small
angular seeds.Mountain
Pepper plants feature heavily in indigenous traditional uses, both in
cooking and medicinally. Mountain Pepperleaf and its berries are now
being cultivated in plantations across the cooler parts of Australia.
Although Native Pepperberry can be used in the same
way as
conventional pepper, it has an added herbal dimension, particularly
towards the end of the palate. The dark Pepperberries also infuse a
rich plum color to sauces. The Mountain Pepperleaf has a more subtle,
organic herbal flavour than the berry and is ideal where the intensity
of the pepperberry is too dominant.
Pepperberries
will bleed a soft pink colour into marinades or pickle solutions, pale
sauces and yoghurt.
Use it for preparing
savouries and soups, vinaigrettes, ice cream jellies, candy, pasta, and
game, etc.
Mountain
Pepper Fish Marinade
2 or 3 tbsp of sweet Chilli sauce
2
tsp of fresh ginger
1 clove of garlic
1 or 2 tsp of fish sauce
2
or 3 tsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of mountain
pepper leaf
½ cup Mountain Pepperberries
Mix
ingredients together in a bowl. Lay whole fish or fish fillets on foil
and rub in marinate. Wrap up fish in foil and let stand for 1 hour. Bake
in oven on 200°C for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on size of fish size.
Pepperberry Jus
750
ml Australian Shiraz
1 onion, finely diced
¼ bulb garlic
30g
(2 tablespoon) pepperberry
1
bouquet garni
8 litres beef stock
salt
Sauté the onion,
garlic and half of the pepperberry
in a little oil (Macadamia Nut Oil is recommended). You want to get a
little caramelisation happening before you add the red wine and bouquet
garni, then reduce over low heat until the liquid has reduced by half.
Add the beef stock and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 2-3 hours or
until the liquid is the consistency of light syrup and coats the back
of a spoon lightly. Finally add the rest of the pepperberry, then strain with a fine
sieve and season to taste.
