Confessions of a Pepper Monkey

I got totally sucked into Top Chef this summer. One of my favorite episodes is when the top three finalists headed to Napa Valley to cook for the chefs of some of my favorite places in Napa: Bistro Jeanty , Terra, and Mustards Grill.

Cindy Pawlcyn of Mustards Grill (which is THE place to go for the best bloody mary in Napa) called Dave, one of the finalists, a "pepper monkey". PEPPER MONKEY?



It got me to thinking.... I'M A PEPPER MONKEY! In everything I make whether it is roasting veggies, making a salad, seasoning fish, meat, making scrambled eggs --- you name it; I'm adding pepper to it with a vengeance!

No harm no foul when I am cooking for myself, but I try to restrain myself when cooking for my friends - not sure if their tastebuds or sinuses could handle my ground spice assault.

I thought about this again this evening after I tasted the roasted fennel I made to accompany my sauteed tarragon and lemon chicken breast that I am bringing for lunch tomorrow. Out of my holy trinity of kosher salt, garlic powder and freshly ground pepper, the pepper was certainly the outstanding ingredient.

What's a pepper monkey to do?