Pine needles

[shain]

On 2/12/2016 at 5:19 PM, shain said:

Pasta mafaldine "of the forest" :
Portobello mushrooms, porcini, toasted pine nuts, dried unsweetened berries. Used eggs and really thick pasta water for thickening the sauce. Flavored with rosemary, pine needles, lemon peel, chives, parsley, tarragon, paprika, garlic, sauteed onion, thyme and a touch of vinegar.
Pasta was lightly toasted before boiling.

4 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

Very nice-looking pasta dish, and an interesting technique for roasting the pasta.

 

What really caught my eye though, was your use of pine needles. What kind?

 

I used to chew on (and swallow) white pine needles as a kid, but quit after everyone said I was kooks and that I was going to poison myself. I always thought fresh rosemary tasted of pine, so that would be a very harmonious combination, I think.

 

A brief Google yielded that there are species of pine that are poisonous (like yew), but also that folks make vitamin-rich tea with others. I loved the bright, tart flavor of pine needles, and now that I've found out most species aren't toxic, I would love to hear what you have to say on the matter. Please PM me if you fear we will drift off the Lunch topic.

 

@Thanks for the Crepes Iv'e opened a new thread about pine needles, since I think it's nicer to give however interested in this subject an option to take part.

 

 

I have fond memories of wintertime pine forests, searching for mushrooms (weeping bolete is the common specie) and Cyclamen flowers (I never knew this is their English name until this moment), and have always been a fan of the forest piney scent. I wanted to create a dish that will revolve around this, with piney aroma and mushrooms.

Iv'e done my Google search, just like you did, and after assuring myself that there is no ill effect in cooking with them (and possibly some benefits), I got to pick some and try using it. Iv'e used Aleppo pine needles, since this is what common around.
Some pine nuts felt like a must with this theme (and who can say no to pine nuts?). I've added rosemary, since as you said, it has a different piney note, less citrusy and slightly sharper. I've played with the thought of adding some juniper heavy gin, but ended up skipping it this time.

[Smithy]

Great topic, shain. How did you treat the pine needles?  Toast slightly, dry, crush? I see the whole pine needles used as a garnish on top, but get the idea that you built them into the dish as well.

 

I've heard about smoking , and possibly roasting, with pine needles to provide some aroma.  I'd never heard of incorporating the needles into an entire dish.

[gfron1]

a few quick thoughts. Don't partner with lemon or it comes off as floor cleaner. Spruce in tip form is the king of the edible needles. You can do a few quick blanches to clean them prior to eating. I've taken mostly to having the needles in my cooking vessel (floating not submerged) to release just an essence of needles.

[shain]

Iv'e actually used them in the pasta cooking water, added along of it and boiled. The ones on top are purely for garnish, as you need a very large amount to give scent without heating them or chewing them...

Since I had plenty of needles and used the minimal amount of cooking water for the pasta, then added the starchy water to the sauce, it gave plenty of flavor to the dish. (I never boil pasta in plenty of water, doesn't make much difference with dry pasta)

I found that crushing the needles might help. Never tried to toast them.

 

I've actually really liked the lemon peel in the sauce, together with the pines and rosemary it's a nice combo, the tarragon also gives a nice bright complementing flavor. The mushrooms and toasty pasta gives an earthy flavor that balances the sharp notes. And of course, moderation is key  

 

Smoking with it sounds really nice, I can imagine it with being really nice, maybe with shiitake mushrooms and eggplant in a Japanese style of dish.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Thank you, shain, gfron1 and Smithy for your thoughts on pine needles. More exploration is in order.

 

It's also incredibly satisfying to know that I'm not actually "kooks" even at this late date.  

 

I guess the bottom line is, forage with knowledge and caution. Glad to know most pine is off the black list, because I love the flavor.