Pinenut Preview: Pasta with Ricotta and Herbs

I received a delightful Mother's Day package this week, which contained, among other wondrous things, a giant pound and a half bag of pinenuts. I was gobsmacked. I have the redfox to thank for this windfall. This is the approximate quantity of pine nuts I might have expected to permit myself over a period of, say, ten years. You will be seeing a lot of celebratory pine nut cookery around here for a while, and how could that be bad?

You may be happy to hear that the consumption of pine nuts can lead to weight loss. Apparently, the oil in pine nuts has been found to the suppress the appetite of experimental subjects. Naturally I am pleased to be afforded an opportunity to shed those excess pounds by the simple expedient of eating one and one half pounds of pine nuts. Perhaps I'd best not eat them all at once, lest I fade away entirely.

I am mulling over my plans for a ricotta and pinenut tart, found at Nick Malgieri's website, which is unique in it's use of carmelized pine nuts. Mmm. Meanwhile, however, a person has got to eat. And this is what I had for supper Saturday night.

Pasta and Pine Nuts

feeds 2 for light supper or lunch

angel hair pasta 8 oz
whole milk ricotta 1/2 cup room temperature
mascarpone (opt) 1 tbsp
grated rind of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
pine nuts 1/2 cup
freshly grated parmesan
oil cured black olives, handful chopped
fresh basil handful chopped
fresh chives small handful, chopped

Preheat oven to 325F. Put pasta water on to boil, with lemon juice and salt added in the water. Put pine nuts on a cookie sheet and cook for about 7 minutes, or until they start to smell nice. Remove from oven. Put most of the pine nuts and everything else but the herbs and parm in a biggish bowl. Cook the pasta. Drain, saving pasta water. Add hot pasta to bowl and toss around to mix all ingredients well. Add a little pasta water until the pasta sauce is a bit creamy. Toss in fresh herbs. Decant into 2 shallow individual bowls. Grate fresh pepper over, scatter remaining pinenuts on top, and then parmesan.

Consume with bread and maybe some grilled fresh asparagus-done in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, coarse pepper and fennel seed-yum. (gorgeous-$1.99 this week!)

I loved my supper. But I just didn't feel thinner. Better have some more.

Comments

[zp]

i am now completely consumed by sweet and savory nut envy! i was all excited about haverchuk's sesame ice cream and now you've got enough pine nuts to let your imagination go wild. i bet sooner or later you'll make some nice plain cookies with them . . .

i've never had enough pine nuts to really explore the breadth and depth of their possibilities . . . here's hoping you go absolutely (pine) nuts with your creative freedom, zp

[Rebecca]

It's a wise child who knows what really makes her mother tick! My eldest gave me a plant (!) that I only hope I don't kill by the end of the week.

I also adore pine nuts and here's a funny thing; I had been cooking with them regularly all through my marriage until after about 15 years or so my husband upped and told me that he actually doesn't like them all that much. Could have knocked me over with a feather! Fortunately our youngest likes them, too, but when he leaves home cooking with them will be pure self-indulgence on my part, although now that I know about their weight loss properties...

Clever of you to discover that, Lindy, and this recipe is total genius, as well.

[Julie]

I love your supper too, or at least the idea of your supper. Perfection.

And pinenuts for a Mother's Day present? Doesn't that beat candies and flowers by a long shot!

[mzn]

Is it too late to wish you a happy Mother's Day? What a gift.

[Kimberly]

What a wonderful gift! I've loved pine nuts since I was a kid at summer camp in Colorado, where our counselors showed us how to crack open pinon pine cones to get to the tasty nuts inside.

A belated happy Mother's Day to you, Lindy.

[anapestic]

People without such thoughtful daughters may want to know that you can get the big bag of pine nuts at Costco. Whenever I've gotten them there, they've been very good.

[lindy]

zp-Yup, it's an extravaganza. BTW, I think my only prior pinenut recipe post is a simple cookie-provencal pine nut crescents-they're pretty good.
rebecca-hmm. I never actually heard of anyone not liking pine nuts before. Imagine him not mentioning it all that time!
Julie-And I got other stuff too! Soon to appear...It was a whole box of treats. Plus, my brother made a big mother's day dinner, and my Mom had a good time too. A very successful Mother's Day all around.
mzn: Thank you. Never too late!
May your children grow up to give you pine nuts...
Kimberly-That's how I had them first too-in the thin little shattery shells-lovely.

[lindy]

'pestic-Can't wait until we get our Costco-Supposedly in the fall, nearby.

[Baking Soda]

Please, don't do this to me....a pound and a half pine-uts? Ánd lose weight? Not fair at all! Lol What a great mothers day gift!

[Tania]

This recipe sounds like one of those gems that rewards the cook with great flavours (and weight loss?!) for minimal effort. Wonderful!

It sounds like you had a lovely Mother's Day, Lindy. I'm already looking forward to the things you will make with your beautifully nutty gift.

[lindy]

Tania-It was an excellent mother's day indeed. Can't say as there has been any weight loss yet (?), but I'm looking forward to pine nut festivities ahead.