Pine Nuts - - Page 5

by BS

Pine Nut Finalist Number Four

We’ve had scallops, salmon, and bacon already this week, but did you really think we would get through an Endless Simmer contest with outa word from JoeHoya? Of course not.

JH, looking to atone for his loss in the Spice Master contest, is about to lay some serious pine nut fanciness on your asses. Behold: Pine Nut Butter and Gelee.

The dish is explained in full, with more in-process photos and links, over at JoeHoya’s blog, Capital Spice. But here’s the gist:

Maybe it’s the proximity to creative culinary lights like Jose Andres and Michel Richard who love to put new spins on classic dishes. Maybe it’s an outgrowth of my love of mashups, covers and other songs that reimagine existing tracks to make new (and sometimes better) music. Or maybe it’s my love of puns and homophones.

Whatever the cause, I decided I wanted to approach something familiar in a slightly twisted way as I sat down to contemplate Endless Simmer’s Pine Nut Challenge. When editor BS put out the call for recipes involving pine nuts, I first thought of the variety of nut butters sold at Trader Joe’s: cashew butter, almond butter, even macadamia nut butter. Why shouldn’t pine nuts work, too?…

by BS

Pine Nut Finalist Number Three

So far this week, we’ve seen pine nuts get the bacon treatment and inventively paired with salmon.

Our third finalist is Matt, who some of you may know as the blogger behind wrightfood. Matt decided to pair his pine nuts with some tasty scallops. If you ask me, scallops are kind of like the bacon of the sea–it’s hard to lose a cooking contest if you’re using them. So this is gonna be interesting. Here’s what Matt has to say for himself:

The pine nuts here are used pretty basically. Not ground, boiled, stewed or set on fire. For me pine nuts add a wonderful textural quality that somewhat gets lost when you grind it up.

Add to that the slight smokey/oily taste that comes from them when they are lightly toasted – and they are just fantastic as they are. I have been known to just toast a few handfuls and eat them as a snack.

So – that is my entry: Pan Seared Scallops, Red Onion Confit, toasted pine nuts and sage oil. Here they were really used as a textural element, and to add a little smokiness to push the confit taste forward a bit.

Full recipe after the j.

in Contests / Fish / Recipe 4 comments

by BS

Pine Nut Finalist Number Two

We’re rolling through the best of the best recipes submitted in our Pine Nut Cook-Off this week, and starting Friday, you the readers will crown a pine nut prince or princess.

Lisa kicked it off yesterday with her devilishly rich bacon-wrapped pine nut goodness. Our second finalist is Natalie, who blogs (and puts pine nuts on everything) over at Hot off the Garlic Press. (Great pun name = points in our book).

So…did you know you can include pine nuts in a fish dish? Of course you did! Because pine nuts go with everything! Natalie’s delectable recipe for Herb Grilled Salmon with Seared Heirloom Tomatoes and Toasted Pine Nuts cleverly pairs the big PNs with some grated parm and lemon, to bring out its toasty flavors around a beautiful slab of grilled fish. Full recipe is after the jump.

in Cheese / Contests / Fish / Recipe 4 comments

by BS

Pine Nut Finalist Number One

The moment all you pignoli nuts have been waiting for is finally here: The results of the Endless Simmer Pine Nut Cooking Contest! Our judges have whittled down the numerous entries, but as usual, we just can’t make up our minds (our our bellies).

So we’re turning it over to you to decide which of our entrants should be crowned the Pine Nut Champion, walk away with a free subscription to La Cucina Italiana magazine, and earn a spot in the Endless Eaters Hall of Fame. We will present the finalists day-by-day and ask you to vote starting later this week.

OK, I’ll stop jabbering on and focus on that tasty photo above that I know you’ve all been drooling over while skimming the last two paragraphs.

Our first finalist is Lisa, the lovely blogger behind Dish-trict. Lisa takes on bacon-wrapped dates, which Brit told us about last week, and kicks them up a serious notch. (Sorry, Brit, but she used pine nuts!)

Lisa starts us out with some biographical info….

in Bacon / Cheese / Contests / Endless Bacon / Pig / Recipe 11 comments

by BS

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

Blame Oklahoma???

– DAD Gansie has the final word on the Pringles Scandal: Chips Are good. I like the baked lays with ridges. Mom Gansie Likes herrs too.

– Totally random commenter wants to remind you that today is your last chance to enter the Pine Nut Contest: this pine nut contest rules! i love pine nuts!

– The verdict is in on pre-packaged peanut butter slices, and simmer-ers are not happy.

Clayton: Please, for the love of all that is holy, tell me this is a joke.

Jon: This brings America one step closer to futuristic food pils. USA! USA! USA!

And you can trust JoeHoya will track evil down to its source:

in Uncategorized 2 comments

by gansie

Let’s Add a Soggy, Flavorless Vegtable

I’ve made a few pasta salads in my day, but this one, well, it just doesn’t even make sense.

When I first started cooking, I threw in EVERY SINGLE SPICE I owned into a dip or a dry rub or a marinade. Then I went through a stage of simplicity: salt, pepper, garlic and maybe one other weapon. Now the pendulum has swung back and I’m sticking crazy shit together again. I guess it’s an ES trend.

The ingredient list: whole wheat fusilli, olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic, onion, cucumber, serrano chili, parm cheese, queso fresco, cumin, pine nuts, salt and pepper. With leftovers, I added in wilted swiss chard.

This is what happens when I buy way too many vegetables at the farmers market. I end up throwing cucumbers — which is great to use as an alternative to chips for a dip, but suck in most other instances because they’re so watery and plain — in with freaking pasta.

in Veggie 3 comments

by BS

One Nut to Rule Them All

OK, so maybe you didn’t win the title of Spice Master – but you can still be crowned Pine Nut Prince or Princess. But you’ll have to act fast.

The last day to send in an entry for our Pine Nut Cooking Contest is this Friday, October 3. One lucky winner will get a subscription to La Cucina Italian magazine, and of course, a much-coveted spot in the Endless Eaters Hall of Fame.

Send your entry – a recipe plus photo – to contests@endlesssimmer.com

Remember–you can enter something that has previously appeared on your blog, just no Cindy McCain-ing please.

in Contests 2 comments

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