Pine needles are one of the most popular ingredients among modern chefs, as they impart a unique aroma and piquant taste to various dishes. In addition, pine needles contain a large amount of vitamin C, which makes food healthier.
Meat with needles
To prepare juicy meat in needles, which is very popular in many Russian and European restaurants, you need to take a tenderloin of fatty beef or pork, foil and a handful of needles. The tenderloin is slightly beaten off, rubbed with pepper and salt, sprinkled with lemon juice and soaked for several minutes. The needles at this time must be thoroughly rinsed under running water and dried as much as possible with a paper towel.
If desired, a similar dish can be prepared from fish, which also goes well with pine needles.
Then a layer of needles is placed in foil, and a prepared cut is placed on it, which is sprinkled on top with another layer of coniferous needles. Foil with meat and needles must be wrapped tightly - this will preserve all the juice that is formed during baking. The wrapped bag is placed on a baking sheet and placed in a preheated oven for one hour, after which the meat is removed, unfolded, and all the needles are carefully removed. The baked tenderloin is transferred to mustard or lettuce leaves, beautifully laid out on a large platter with any garnish suitable for meat, and served.
Pine needles
For the treatment of coughs and colds, many peoples of the world cook winter jam from coniferous needles, which significantly strengthens the immune system. To prepare it, you will need 1 glass of fresh pine needles (spruce needles are also suitable), half a glass of rose hips, 500 g of honey or 700 g of granulated sugar, as well as freshly squeezed juice of two lemons. The needles must be thoroughly washed and chopped well. Rosehip fruits must be minced or crushed in a mortar, after which they are mixed with chopped needles, pour 1.5 liters of boiling water and insist for twelve hours.
It is advisable to mix chopped needles and rose hips exclusively in an enamel bowl, where their aroma will be completely preserved.
After the future jam is infused, strain it, add honey or granulated sugar to it and bring to a boil over high heat. After boiling, lemon juice is introduced into the jam, reducing the heat to a minimum, and they continue to simmer the healthy delicacy until it thickens. Ready-made coniferous jam should be consumed during the period of flu epidemics and seasonal colds, eating several teaspoons of it daily at breakfast, containing a large amount of minerals and ascorbic acid.
