15

There are loads of umbrella pines around where I live but the nuts are really a pain to crack open because they are so small.

16

pine nuts taste something like rose water smells, but more toasty and oily. they are super expensive here too, but a little goes a long way (except for pesto, where a lot gets gobbled up in a second!).

1) quinoa pilaf

cook one cup of quinoa with salt to taste

while quinoa is cooking roast a handful of pine nuts (slightly chopped) in dry frying pan until fragrant (keep on medium heat and jiggle pan constantly to avoid burning pinenuts). this should take 3-5 minutes. place in mixing bowl.

in the same pan. saute 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped, in a minimal amt of olive oil, until transparent. remove from fire to cool a bit, then salt to taste and add to mixing bowl.

chop abt 3/4 cup of flat leaf parsley. add to mixing bowl.

when quinoa is done add to mixing bowl (carefully strain any excess liquid).

toss and serve. can be reheated or served cold.

2) fruit salad

chop your favorite fruits, include at least one citrus fruit and a banana. mix with very small amt of sugar and let stand for 5-10 minutes (to generate fruit syrup)
mix in a small amount of sweet red wine or small amt of brandy.
mix in whole or very coarsely chopped pine nuts.

serve

all quantities here are up to personal taste unless noted

17

We use them a lot in Sicily.

Biscuits,cakes,with fish,with pasta......

One of my favourites is pasta with pesto alla siciliana...that includes 'pinoli'.Its basically tomatoes,garlic,pine nuts,almonds and cheese (eg salted ricotta and maybe grated caciocavallo) plus a little olive oil,blended together...or more traditionally crushed in a mortar.

Then you just mix it with hot spaghetti......

18

Except in places where they apparently exist in plethoric numbers (like Sicily), I am wondering if they are really worth the bother. I consider them to be sort of like the sesame seeds on the bun of a Big Mac. Do they really change the flavor when used so parsimoniously?

19

Pignoli Macaroons. (I don't guarantee this recipe. It was given to me by a friend.)

1 can (10 oz.) Love'n Bake™ Almond Paste

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoons grated orange rind, optional

¼ teaspoon salt

3 egg whites, more or less as needed

Pignoli (pine nuts)

How to Prepare :
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix the Love'n Bake ™ Almond Paste, sugar, salt and orange rind in a mixer with the paddle attachment on slow speed. Mix long enough to make a smooth, lump-free mixture. Gradually add the egg whites, adding only enough to create a smooth, firm paste.

Drop by full Teaspoons onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.  For Pignoli Cookies, drop batter onto pignoli; coat evenly; shape with your fingers and place onto parchment lined-cookie sheets.

Bake the macaroons in the pre-heated oven until lightly brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake.

Cool completely then carefully peel the cookies off the parchment paper.
Store in a covered container.

20

Do they really change the flavor when used so parsimoniously?

Yes they do. And a little goes a long way. It is a bit odd the way that happens though. Eaten alone they really don't taste like much.

21

I substitute the sunflower seeds with toasted pine nuts in this recipe.
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Alyson_s-Broccoli-Salad-Allrecipes
Great as a side for a bbq.

22

Pine nuts have a wonderful flavor if you toast them lightly. The easiest way to do this is to toss them in the toaster oven at about 300 and remove them as soon as they are lightly brown.

Use toasted pine nuts sprinkled over sauteed spinach or chard with garlic. Yum! Also great on salads, topping pasta dishes. I make a spinach ricotta pie and press them on the top (untoasted, as they'll toast in the oven).

One key to using the pinenuts is to roughly chop them after toasting. When they are whole, you have to chase them around the plate and they don't cling to anything.

23

There was a 10 year fad in Paris for putting pine nuts in salad. Then the fad ended, and I have not seen pine nuts in a salad since then.

24

I love pine nuts, especially very lightly toasted. They are mild but have a light "piney" taste. Nothing substitutes for them, for me. And they DO affect the flavour of the dish.

The torta recipe is one I would have posted. And if I ever find my cookie recipe, and if it's different from Anon's, (I think it is very similar) I'll post it. ( Sorry sashac.)

25

I am willing to admit that pine nuts can change the taste of a dish. I am far less sure of the necessity of sesame seeds on the bun of a Big Mac. I mostly just taste the disgusting sugar in the bun.

26

Not just the bun,but what is inside it as well......

27

Had deep fried battered chicken slices with a seasoning of marmite,toasted sesame seed oil,cracked pepper corn,honey,diced garlic and toasted pine nuts lightly stir fried and slightly thicken gravy of corn flour and water mix.Quite good.

28

I had a Big Mac once. It was quite a few years ago, 1976 or 77, but if I recall correctly the sauce was so sweet that there is no way I could have said whether the bun was sweet as well. Did you eat the bun separately, Kerouac? I think you're supposed to bite through everything at once.

29

Big Mac Bun, emphasis added:

Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sugar, Soybean Oil and/or Canola Oil, Contains 2% Or Less: Salt, Calcium Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Wheat Gluten, Ammonium Sulfate, Ammonium Chloride, Dough Conditioners (May Contain One or More Of: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, DATEM, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide, Mono and Diglycerides, Ethoxylated Monoglycerides, Monocalcium Phosphate, Enzymes, Guar Gum, Calcium Peroxide), Calcium Propionate and/or Sodium Propionate (Preservatives), Soy Lecithin, Sesame Seed.

Big Mac Sauce, has its own sugars

Soybean Oil, Pickle Relish (Diced Pickles, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate Preservative, Spice Extractives, Polysorbate 80), Distilled Vinegar, Water, Egg Yolks, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Onion Powder, Mustard Seed, Salt, Spices, /Propylene Glycol Alginate, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Mustard Bran, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Vegetable Protein (Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy and Wheat), Caramel Color, Extractives of Paprika, Soy Lecithin, Turmeric (Color), Calcium Disodium EDTA (Protect Flavor).

Those are the US ingredients. The French site doesn't list ingredients, but here's the UK ones.

Big Mac Bun:
Wheat Flour, Water, Sugar, Yeast, Vegetable Oil (Rapeseed), Sesame Seeds, Salt, Gluten, Soya Flour, Emulsifiers (Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Palm Oil, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid). [No mention of sesame seeds, but they are clearly shown in the pictures on both the French & UK sites]

Big Mac Sauce :
Water, Vegetable Oil (Soya Bean or Rapeseed), Diced Gherkin, Sugar, Spirit Vinegar, Modified Maize Starch, Free Range Egg Yolk, Mustard Seed, Salt, Acetic Acid, Mustard Flour, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Natural Flavourings, Dried Garlic, Spice, Colour (Paprika Extract)

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Nutrax

The plural of anecdote is not data.