BEWARE: PINE NUT ZONE

Pine nuts at the source.

I was having a quiet breakfast on the terrace, eating fresh-picked strawberries with yogurt and savoring a cup of tea, when CRASH, a missile hit the deck right beside me, sending shrapnel in all directions. I looked skyward, into the tops of a towering pine tree on the other side of the patio wall, and, there they were, potential missiles just waiting for a strong wind to bring them down on my head.

The missiles were heavy pine cones and the “shrapnel” the scattered pieces of the pine cone and the small pine nuts that exploded from it. I moved my breakfast table from under the danger zone and proceeded to gather the tiny nuts.

If this looks like manna from heaven, let me hasten to tell you that pine nuts are devilishly difficult to extract. First you have to prise them out of the pine cones (yes, whacking them on the terrace floor helps), then crack each bitsy nut, hopefully without smashing the kernel in the act.

My grandson Leo is much more adept at cracking pine nuts than I. The problem, though, is that he eats them as he cracks them.

 These are the nuts (actually, seeds) of the Mediterranean stone pine (Pinus pinea). They are long and slender compared to the smaller imported Chinese pine nuts.

 

 

Mediterranean pine nuts on the left, Chinese on the right.

A recent posting by blogger Dianne Jacob (Will Write for Food, http://diannej.com/blog/2011/07/watch-out-for-ongoing-bitter-taste-from-pine-nuts/ ) warns pine nut fanciers of the taste-altering effects of some varieties of Chinese pine nuts.

In Spain, pine nuts go into a stuffing for turkey; along with raisins, they’re tossed with chard or spinach. They adorn tiny Christmas cookies or are coated in sugar syrup. Where pine trees grow, such as in the marismas, marshlands, of the Guadalquivir River basin, pine-nuts might be used instead of almonds for white gazpacho. Or combined with clams in a tasty hot soup. 

Because I also had a supply of fresh basil, I decided to use my pine nuts to make pesto, that Italian sauce for pasta.

Pine nuts, garlic, ham and basil for anti-pesto.

But, why mess up those delicate little pine nuts by crushing them? Instead I invented  ANTI-PESTO—a quick sauté, some grated cheese (Spanish Manchego, preferably aged, instead of Parmesan), lots of fresh basil. Really easy, so fresh.

ANTI-PESTO PASTA

Cook 1 pound of linguine or spaghetti until done to taste.

While pasta is cooking, heat ¼ cup olive oil in a small skillet. Add ½ cup (3 ounces) pine nuts, 3 cloves of garlic sliced crosswise, and ½ cup (2 ounces) chopped serrano ham. Fry until garlic and pine nuts are golden. Remove.

Drain the pasta, saving some of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pan. Add the pine nuts, garlic, ham and all of the oil and toss. Stir in 1 ¼ cup (3 ounces) grated Manchego cheese. Add about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in 1 cup shredded fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately. 

Pasta with pine nuts, basil, ham and garlic.

NOT GAZPACHO

Not gazpacho, but cold soup with melon.

  There’s an old country joke, the sort of thing that you tell little kids, that watermelons are completely white inside until the very instant that you cut one open. As you insert the knife, the flesh turns deep red. Magic.

So last week, a watermelon arrived from a friend’s garden that failed to work according to design. We sliced into it and—oh no!—it didn’t turn red! The flesh was white and so were the seeds. It was juicy, but not very sweet. No one wanted to eat pale watermelon.

Pale watermelon--good for soup.

But, I couldn’t bear to throw it out. I first thought about turning it into gazpacho (the recipe for authentic gazpacho with tomatoes is here), but then remembered a Persian recipe for cold cucumber-yogurt soup. Substituting the white watermelon for cucumber, I came up with a wonderful summer soup. We liked it so much that I will try it with red watermelon or with not-too-sweet melon (maybe honeydew). Here’s how.

Cut up enough watermelon (white or red, or honeydew melon) to make about 4 cups. Scoop out the seeds. Puree the flesh with a cup of low-fat plain yogurt (Greek yogurt would be good too), a couple cloves of garlic, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and salt to taste.

Chill the soup and serve garnished with strips of serrano ham and sprigs of mint.

Watermelon soup with a garnish of serrano ham and mint.

STUFFED EGGS FOR A SUMMER POTLUCK

Eggs stuffed with tuna.

Invitations went out on Facebook a couple months ago for a big summertime get-together of expat families and their kids who grew up together in this Spanish village. Now, our kids have kids. Some still live in the village, but others are far-flung. The visit of one family from Chicago was the reason for the party. It was a terrific reunion of cousins, school friends, former teachers, parents, grandparents, neighbors.

Stuffed piquillo peppers and more.

The hosts had some of the food catered by Bar Niño, a nearby tapas bar—stuffed piquillo peppers, potato tortillas, salpicón de mariscos  (chopped seafood salad), fried green peppers, potato salad.

Josh prepared his trademark smoked turkey. A Uruguayan friend, Eduardo, brought barbecued ribs, chicken wings, beef and sausage with knockout chimichurri sauce. Someone else brought wood-fired pizzas. Sharon, the clan’s matriarch, baked three different cakes.

Josh carves smoked turkey.

My contribution? Every potluck needs a platter of stuffed eggs. I made a Spanish version in which tuna replaces some of the yolks in the stuffing and capers give it punch. This recipe can also be prepared using chopped shrimp instead of the tuna. (My recipe for stuffed eggs was chosen by the editors of Food & Wine as one of the Best of the Best, in their 2003 edition.)

Cousins Luke, Karina and Jordi, all wearing the colors of Spain's world cup football champions, helped serve food and drinks. 

Karina with eggs.

Huevos Rellenos
Stuffed Eggs

You will not need all of the yolks for this recipe. A few can be grated over the tops of the stuffed eggs. Save the remaining for another use.

Makes 24.

12 hard-boiled eggs
1 4-ounce can tuna in olive oil or 

     4 ounces cooked, peeled and 

     chopped shrimp
¼ cup drained capers  

    or chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon pimentón 

     picante (hot paprika or cayenne)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon olive oil
Strips of roasted red pimiento

Peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks. Place six yolks in a bowl. Reserve the rest for another use.

Add the tuna and its oil to the bowl with the yolks and mash them together. (If using shrimp, add it after the yolks are mashed along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.) Add capers, onion, parsley, 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, salt and pepper and pimentón and combine well. Spoon this mixture into the egg whites, smoothing the tops.

In a small bowl, stir the mayonnaise with the olive oil and remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice until it reaches spreading consistency. If necessary, thin with a little water. Top each egg with a dollop of mayonnaise. If desired, grate some of the reserved yolks over the stuffed eggs. Lay a strip of red pimiento on top of each. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time.

Off to a potluck!