Unbeknown to me, there are more than one species of pine nut....who knew? From continent to continent they vary slightly in taste, texture and chemical makeup. And only very recently (since about 2001) has a syndrome known as "pine mouth" come to light.
I personally think it should be called "crap mouth" as damn near everything you eat tastes like crap. But that's just me.
It doesn't matter if it is sweet, salty, fatty or bland. Once in your mouth the food takes on a flavor that I can only describe as a handful of pine needles combined with the pith (white bitter part) of an orange. It's seriously enough to make you not want to eat anything.
Which for me, sucks.
Seriously.
I researched the web and found that it can last from just a few days after eating them, to up to 2 weeks. It eventually goes away, but there is little you can do about it. Some acidic foods can minimize the effects so I thought I would try some citrus juice at work. I grabbed some OJ out of the fridge and it was pretty good, although I am not much of a juice person.
When I got home I figured it couldn't hurt to add vodka to my OJ and see what happened (since wine tasted like ca ca, boo hoo!). And you know what?
It tasted pretty damn good!
I was cooking dinner for my friends that evening and had the whole menu planned out....my citrus and salt baby back ribs, German potato salad and orange bread pudding for dessert. (Friend was bringing salad....no worries, we got our veggies!) Naturally while making the potato salad I had to test the bacon to see if my taste buds were really THAT effed up (please God, no!). And fortunately I found the second thing that didn't taste like poop....bacon.
Go figure.
So I am thinking.....how can I survive on bacon and screwdrivers for up to 2 weeks????
As it turns out, probably pretty well if I didn't have to work or drive.
I made dinner half sloshed on vodka (as I rarely drink it and had no lunch to speak of) and my friends assured me that it was delicious. They even went back for seconds, so I know I did OK. I think it tasted OK, but am pretty sure my taste buds were worn out from the vodka, so I'll have to take their word for it!
The German Potato Salad recipe is from my Nana, labeled on a recipe card, "My" German Potato Salad. It is everything I remember of her...warm, a little sweet, a little tart and very sassy.
Nana's German Potato Salad
6 Cups Red Potatoes, Cooked and sliced in to 1/4" slices
3 Scallions, sliced thin
6 Slices of Bacon (or more if you are feeling the need)
3 Hard Boiled Eggs, 2 chopped, 1 sliced for garnish
1/3 cup Water
2/3 cup White Vinegar
1/4 cup Sugar
2 T Flour
Salt & Pepper
*Optional
1/4 tsp Dry Mustard
1/4 tsp Celery Seed
Fry the bacon until crisp and reserve 3 T of the fat, chop the rest of the bacon and set aside.
Mix sliced potatoes, scallions, chopped egg and bacon together in a bowl.
In a small pan, mix together the rest of the ingredients and cook slowly until the dressing is thickened, season to taste with salt & pepper. Pour over potatoes and mix thoroughly. Put in whatever serving bowl you plan on using and garnish with the sliced egg.
This should be served relatively warm, I left it in the stove while I was cooking everything else and it was the perfect temperature. You can also microwave it briefly if it isn't warm enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment