Pignoli Cookies (Pinenut Cookies)

Recently, TK and I got to go on the trip of a lifetime to Tuscany. This was my first time in Italy, and now, NOW, I get why everyone talks about Italian cookies and why they are the best things in the world. Now I understand why they are not the same as the powdered sugar balls you get every Christmas, and that deceptively simple looking cookies pack a ton of surprising and wonderful flavor. The answer, boys and girls, is almond paste.

I dislike Marzipan. I think it is overly sweet and somehow texturally off. So perhaps it is not surprising that I have shied away from almond paste. Maybe I just needed to grow into it. You can't always expect a nine-year old to get a subtle thing like almond paste. But now, I have figured out that almond paste is both what makes my favorite coffee cake from Germany delicious AND the secret behind pine nut cookies. You don't necessarily look at the pine nut, flavor enhancer to pestos everywhere, as a sweet thing. But it really works in combination with the sweet almond paste and meringue of the egg whites.

You would be amazed at how difficult it is to find good Italian recipes. There is a glut on the market for all things Italian, but so many of them are based off of what Americans consider Italian food to be, or even worse, as easy food for people who don't know how to cook. Every corner than can be cut is cut. This is not to say that my quest for a good Italian cookbook can't be met. I'm just really really intimidated by what happens when you search for "Italian cookbook" on Amazon, and the reviews are no help because so many of the people looking are not really looking what I'm looking for. I don't want easy Italian food. I'm not really interested in the best marinara. I want to learn how to make that delicious pear and ricotta cake that blew my mind.

So here is my first attempt at pignoli cookies. There are both crispy and chewy varieties of pignoli cookies. I fell in love with the chewy, straight up almond paste ones that were a ball of pine nuts. It seems much easier to find recipes for the crispy and more meringue ones. This are the other, more chewy cookie. I am pushing it away from the original recipe and towards my goal by adding more almond paste and cooking for less time (the main difference between a chewy pignoli cookie and a crispy one). So just trust me on this one, and try this recipe. 

Make sure you get pure almond paste, not marzipan, and NOT almond filling. Also lean towards the almond paste that comes in a can or tub rather than the tube, which tends to be dryer. This is surprisingly easy to make, as it is a food processor recipe. The dough will be extremely sticky. it'll stick to your fingers, everything. The pine nuts will give it its shape and cookie-ness. Don't worry if it sticks to your hand. These cookies mean business, and are a messy affair.

Pignoli (Pine Nut) Cookies

After blending with sugar/flour

Chunky from the can

Ingredients

12 oz of pure Almond paste (NOT Almond filling and NOT Marzipan)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1/4 cup of flour

3 egg whites, lightly beaten

10-12 oz Pignoli (Pine Nuts)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes active, 40 minutes inactive Makes 24-30 cookies


Instructions

1. Add almond paste to food processor. Paste will break up in chunks. Pulse processor several times then grind until chunks are completely broken up. 
2. Pulse the powdered sugar and the flour into the almond paste. Blend until mixture looks like very rough sand. 
3. Beat egg whites lightly for 1-2 minutes in small bowl with whisk.
4. Add egg whites and process until dough comes together.
5. Scoop out a small piece of dough (about a small spoon). It will be very sticky. Slide off of spoon and roll in pine nuts till completely covered, and place 2" apart on cookie sheet lines with parchment paper. 
6. Bake 300 degrees about 25 min. Remove to wire racks to cool, then keep covered. 
7. Freeze cookies if you're not going to use them right away, then take out as needed.

Happy Baking!!!

Menu: Christmas Party Menu

Another  year, another holiday party. This is the one party that we have taken to throwing every year, partially as an excuse to buy a Christmas tree. Partially because this time of the year just makes me want to make cookies, cookies, and yet more cookies. Yet again, we were a little insane in the amount of food we prepared, but there are so many things we've started looking forward to as "something we'll do for the holiday party" that it's just hard to stop yourself. We'll be posting recipes as we find the time, recover from our hangovers, and look with horror at the mess we made.

This year, we added a spicy nut mix, homemade liver mousse, and a second vegetarian option of spicy sweet potato (a recipe I made up and am still working on perfecting). We also made pignoli cookies, which I had for the first time during our recent Tuscany trip. I insisted on trying to replicate them. These aren't quite as good as the ones I had in Italy but were an excellent first attempt and stand up on their own. In addition, we had our old favorites. You just can't go wrong with this beef recipe, or with bacon wrapped dates that matter. There's bacon. There's date. It's perfect.


So enjoy, and have a happy holiday season!

Appetizers -

Bacon Wrapped Dates with Honey Mascarpone
Spicy Nuts

Chicken "Faux Gras" Mousse with Cucumber Gelee

Truffle Butter Popcorn

Pistachio and Cranberry Stuffed Brie with Raw Honey

Main Courses -

Spanakopita Triangles (Vegetarian) We made these smaller than the dinner-sized portions we usually make. Just cut the phyllo six ways horizontally instead of in half vertically.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Pockets (Vegetarian)

Brown Sugar and Citrus Cured Salmon

Ginger and Vodka Cured Beef Tenderloin

Cookies -

Peppermint Mocha Cookies

Pignoli (Pine nut) Cookies

Molasses Crinkles

Holiday Rice Krispie Treats

Beverages -

Mulled Wine

Egg Nog

Cilantro Pesto

This pesto is one of the very first things I learned to cook, and will always hold a warm place in my heart because of that. I liked this recipe so much, I bought Robin Miller's cookbook. Of course, I've since added sun dried tomatoes, extra olive oil, a little more garlic, and pepper. But all good recipes get adjusted as they age.

In addition to being a quick and easy dinner option (over chicken, pasta, or even peas. Basically anything you would put pesto on), this recipe is neat because you can freeze the leftover pesto (this recipe is the double batch of the original recipe, as I always make enough to freeze when I make it) in an ice cube tray and take out individual ice cubes each time you want to use it. Put the ice cubes in a rammekin, and leave them next to the flame on the stove while you heat water to boil. It'll thaw by the time the pasta is done. Just one ice cube per person.

My favorite pasta to make this with is three cheese tortellini, but any will work. The original recipe is for chicken. Be sure and be generous with fresh grated Parmesan cheese when you serve. You can add a little parmesan to the pesto if you want, but it works better to just be generous when serving.

A note on the garlic: this recipe is designed to have a rather strong garlic taste when it is finished. This is because when I freeze the pesto, it is less garlicky when thawed. I, for one, am sorta a nut for garlic, so this really doesn't bother me, but if you are not a raw garlic person, either add two fewer cloves of garlic or freeze and thaw before use.

Cilantro Pesto

2 bunches cilantro (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup plus two tablespoons sour cream

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

6 tablespoon toasted pine nuts

8 large cloves garlic

1/4 to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Instructions

1. Place the pine nuts in a small dry skillet and set over medium heat. 
2. Toast the nuts until golden brown, about 3 minutes, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Allow to cool to avoid wilting the lettuce. 
3. Add cilantro, sun dried tomatoes, sour cream, garlic, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor. 
4. Add the cooled pine nuts.
5. Pulse to combine. 
6. Slowly add olive oil to running blender.
7. Process and blend until smooth and thick. If necessary, add more sour cream or olive oil to taste. You may need to check to make sure pine nuts have not stuck to the bottom of the blender.
8. Season with cayenne to taste. 
9. Pour over pasta to serve. Use prudence when using, pesto is strong stuff.
10. If freezing, portion out immediately into an empty ice cube tray or two as necessary. Thaw individual ice cubes when ready to use later.

Spanakopita Triangles

I know everyone says that spanakopita is an obvious answer to the "what to serve vegetarians" question. Or in my particular case the "what to feed vegetarians who don't for some crazy unknown reason love mushrooms"? But this spanakopita has a ton of flavor, some unconventional pine nuts, and the pepper on top that really make this recipe. Plus, this recipe was my introduction to phyllo, which gave me confidence to try other things phyllo and thus unlock a whole new world of cooking. Adding the bread crumbs really does help prevent the sheets from sticking together as you assemble them.

This recipe can be a little time intensive. Layering out all that phyllo and rolling the triangles takes time. The benefit of it, however, is that as long as you're doing phyllo, you can do a lot, and it freezes quite well. I almost always make at least a double recipe and save the leftovers. When it's a weekday and TK and I have both worked late but frankly don't want the grease of delivery, there's delicious homemade spanakopita. You don't even have to thaw them, in fact, you don't want to thaw them at all, as that would make the phyllo soggy when cooked. Pop them straight from the freezer to a cookie sheet, top with melted butter, salt, and pepper, and cook.

Two triangles make a meal. One makes a solid side or first course. If you want appetizer-sized triangles, Cut horizontally six ways instead of vertically halfways and use a tablespoon instead of a 1/4 cup measure. The smaller triangles will be more delicate but can likewise be frozen. There will be plenty of filling for all the phyllo you desire. One box per batch. Try your feta before you add it. You may have to adjust the salt content of the dish based on how salty your feta is. We like to serve with a quick dipping sauce of yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice and pepper.

Ingredients

 
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Plain dry bread crumbs (not seasoned or panko)
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups small-diced feta cheese (12 ounces)
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
24 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Thaw frozen spinach in strainer until no ice remains.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the onion, and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the scallions, and cook for another 2 minutes until the scallions are wilted but still green. 
4. Meanwhile, gently squeeze the water out of the spinach and place in a large bowl.
5. When the onion and scallions are done, add them to the spinach. Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, the nutmeg (use a rasp to grate if you have fresh nutmeg), salt, and pepper. Gently fold in the feta and pine nuts.
6. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough flat on a work surface with the long end in front of you. Brush the dough lightly with butter and sprinkle it with a teaspoon of bread crumbs.
7. Working quickly, slide another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first, brush it with butter, and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. (Use just enough bread crumbs so the layers of phyllo don't stick together.) Pile 4 layers total on top of each other this way, brushing each with butter and sprinkling with bread crumbs. 
8. Cut the sheets of phyllo in half lengthwise. 
9. Place 1/3 cup spinach filling in the bottom right corner of the strips of phyllo. If necessary, shape the filling to make sure it fills the corners of the triangle you are about to form. Fold the phyllo over the filling diagonally like you are folding a flag (see video). Then fold the triangle of phyllo over straight and then diagonally again. Continue folding first diagonally and then straight until you reach the end of the sheet and the filling is enclosed in the phyllo.
10. Continue assembling phyllo layers and folding the filling until all of the filling is used or you run out of phyllo. If you are planning on serving later, freeze the folded phyllo triangles in a tupperware containern neatly stacked until you are ready to cook, then continue on with the directions, placing the frozen unthawed triangles on the sheet pan.
11. Place on a sheet pan, seam sides down. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with flaked salt, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the phyllo is browned and crisp. Serve hot.