HOW TO USE
• The heat of the pepper reduces with the cooking time so add a little just before serving if you like a peppery zing.
• Sprinkle mountain pepper leaf on chicken, fish, beef, pork or lamb before cooking, alone or in combination with other herbs or spices.
• Use in marinades, rub onto meat or use in a dip.
• Mountain pepper leaf goes especially well with potatoes, altough it also goes well with most vegetables and can be used in salad dressings, pasta doughs, sauces or bread.
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Mountain pepper
Mountain pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata) is a small tree growing to around five metres and is found in south-eastern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. Both the leaves and berries contain the compound polygodial, which gives them their characteristic hot taste. Most of the mountain pepper is wild harvested by hand, however, commercial plantations are now emerging to keep up with demand.
RECIPE
Potato Pancake with Mushroom Sauté and Rocket Salad
Serves 6
Potato pancake
• 1 kg potatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp mountain pepper, ground
• 180g flour, amount may depend on type of potato
• oil for frying
Boil potatoes with skin on. Cool slightly, peel and mash with salt and mountain pepper. Cool completely. Kneed mash with flour. Dough should be of a consistency that can be rolled out. Divide dough into 12 balls. Roll each out into a 15-20cm diameter pancake. Fry pancakes on a pan with a little oil, turning frequently. This can be done hours earlier. Reheat pancakes prior to serving.
Mixed mushroom sauté
• 200g mixed mushrooms
• 10g dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 small leek
• 1 small zucchini (100g)
• 100ml cream (option: use water or stock with a little arrowroot starch or kuzu dissolved in cold water instead)
• 1 sprig rosemary
• lemon myrtle to taste, ground
• salt to taste
Soak shiitake mushrooms in enough warm water to cover them. Slice leek and zucchini in 1cm slices. Break or cut mushrooms into desirable pieces (not too small). Sauté leek and rosemary then add zucchini. Sauté a few minutes then add mixed mushrooms. Add shiitake and cream. Add salt and lemon myrtle.
To serve, place two folded pancakes on each plate with the mixed mushroom sauté inside the folded pancake. Accompany with a rocket salad tossed with vinaigrette.
STORAGE
Store in an airtight container in a cool dark place to preserve aroma and flavour.
SOURCES
Recipe cards from Kurrajong Native Foods (www.bushtuckerstore.org) sample packs, recipe cards from OzTukka (www.oztukka.com.au)five spice pack
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