Making pesto to freeze. does anyone have a good source for several cups of pine nuts (pignoli)?
Are you looking for true pignoli (Mediterranean pine nuts) or pine nuts from anywhere, including Russia, VIetnam, China, or Korea? The latter are available more readily - I can’t eat them, as I get Pine Mouth. I end up buying true pignoli nuts from Amazon and use them sparingly.
Try these sites/locations - check the back of the bags for their origin (if they note where they are harvested - if they don’t, expect them to be from one of those 4 countries):
I live in an area where pine nuts are nearly impossible to source. I have found chopped Marcona almonds to be a decent substitute.
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I got pine mouth once about 15 years ago from pine nuts from Trader Joe’s and it affected me so severely I basically stopped buying pine nuts entirely. I thought something was dreadfully wrong with me until I figured it out. Ugh.
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these responses are so interesting, thank you. i’ve decided to freeze a sort of pistou (no nuts) and then add whatever fine pine nuts are available at the time of cooking or to use with a substitute nut or no nut at all.
i did find that Costco has 1 1/2 pounds available for a little over $27, but as i don’t know the type of pine nut i will stay away. i have seen some really lovely pine nuts at Super Vanak (persian store) in Belmont.
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Do you know where the Super Vanak pine nuts are from? I am overdue for a visit to Belmont and Watertown markets.
Do you and @LindaWhit have to avoid pesto in restaurants because of the uncertainty over the provenance of the pine nuts?
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i do not know where the Vanak pine nuts are from, but they are the big, long ones.
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No country of origin? They might be able to find out for you, if it’s not on the bag.
Yeah, I do, unless it says the pesto is made from walnuts or pistachios (which is what I now use to make pesto at home). I’d be REAL surprised if a restaurant is buying the specific Mediterranean pignolis to make pesto.
Might take too long for your purposes, but if you want amazing guaranteed-US-produced pine nuts, maybe consider New Mexico piñon. They’re lovely. Not as sweet as Italian pine nuts, but complex and delicious. Because the pine cones take a long time to mature here in the desert, the nuts have a deeper flavor than in places with more water and richer soil.
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Just a tip in case you haven’t done this before: Make sure to blanch the basil first or after a couple of months you’ll find yourself with frozen blobs in a very, very unappetizing brown shade. Learned that one the hard way.
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