Driving up a remote single lane road north of Taos, headed to the D.H. Lawrence Ranch, we had to weave around cars and pickup trucks parked on the roadside every 50 yards or so. We saw people of all ages crouched on the ground, picking away at the dirt or picking over something on blankets they’d spread under the bristly branches of roadside pine trees. It finally dawned on us that they were collecting piñons, aka pine nuts.
Piñons are one of the great delicacies of New Mexico, and one of the region’s most ancient foods. The trees grow wild and the nuts are apparently free for the taking on public land — including the roadside rights of way. Once we started paying attention, we began to see cars stopped at unlikely places all along the northern New Mexico roads, including major highways.
We had priced piñons at the Santa Fe Farmers Market and they seemed a little rich for our blood (about $30 per one-cup bag). The New Mexico piñon is harvested mainly from the Colorado piñon (Pinus edulis). When the cones open in the fall, the ‶nuts″ fall to the ground, where it’s a race between pack rats, kangaroo rats, and humans to gather the harvest. This fall was one of the biggest harvests in memory, meaning there were plenty of piñons for all.
Joining the ranks of gatherers
On the way back from the Lawrence Ranch, we pulled over and began to collect piñons. We took some off the ground, still others from open cones within reach. We’d read that serious gatherers lay down a blanket and shake the tree, which is probably a lot more efficient than picking them one by one. It probably means getting a whole lot less pine sap on your hands as well.
We hadn’t planned on gathering anything, so we lacked a good container. We wrapped our haul in a towel until we got home and soon learned a few lessons. Lesson one: Don’t pick up the gray nuts. They are empty husks that the wildlife knew to leave alone. Lesson two: Half the shells will be empty anyway. Lesson three: You’ll probably mash the nut meats until you develop just the right touch for extracting them. Lesson four: Given the labor to harvest, clean, and shell the nuts, they’re almost a bargain at any price.
Piñons are used extensively in sweets in New Mexico, and just as extensively as a garnish. We were pining for New Mexican flavors once we were home in Massachusetts, so we decided to make a red chile pumpkin soup and sprinkle it with piñons. It was a match made in heaven — or at least in New Mexico.
ROASTED PUMPKIN AND RED CHILE SOUP
After Thanksgiving, inexpensive fresh pumpkins seemed to be everywhere. We looked at a bunch of soups that used winter squashes, but this version from MJ’s Kitchen (mjskitchen.com) truly struck a chord with us. Over the years, Mary Jane came up with a slew of great recipes that reflected the tastes of New Mexico and what used to be called New Southwestern cooking. She’s no longer with us, but her husband Bobby keeps the website archive alive. We’ve made some small adaptations to suit our kitchen and tastes, but the inspiration was all Mary Jane. BTW, the olive brine was her idea and it makes all the difference.
- 3-4 lb. pumpkin (to yield 3.5 cups roasted pumpkin)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 New Mexico red chile pods, seeded and ground
- 1/4 cup New Mexico dried red chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup green olive brine
- 1/4 cup piñon nuts, lightly toasted
Set oven to 400° F.
Cut pumpkin in half and lightly oil the cut surfaces. Place cut side up on baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. Scoop out and throw away seeds and threads from the seed cavity. Scoop out cooked pumpkin for 3.5 cups.
Heat olive oil in large pot and sweat the onion until soft (5 minutes more or less). Add pumpkin, broth, salt, chiles, cumin, and brine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before pureeing with a stick blender.
Ladle soup into bowls and top each bowl with sprinkling of toasted pine nuts.
