Ridgewood Pine Soup

The pine soup from Ridgewood

A simple recipe for when the winter stays longer than anticipated.

Ingredients and preparations

Over the course of the year gather whatever pine nuts (as well as herbs for seasoning) that you can. Store these in a dry place for as long as needed (though they will spoil eventually after more than a year). Keep a close distance to a source of firewood (water can be obtained by melting fallen snow if necessary).
The soup requires very little in terms of supplies, but can be enhanced by seasoning. You need two handful of pine nuts, about a liter of water. Potential seasoning herbs and spices include salt, thyme and some wild onions if they can be found. For a savoury finish use any animal fat left over.

Recipe

First, heat the animal fat (if any) in the pot and add the onion, which is cut into small pieces. Then, add seasoning as available and to taste. Secondly, add the pine nuts and roast them until they reach a nice brown colour (avoid charring them). Then, remove the nuts and crush them into a paste. Add the past back into the pot, add water and simmer for a while. Finally, either strain the soup or eat it directly. Can be served with left over pine nuts.

This recipe originates from the far away region of Ridgewood, in the far north, bordering the bear wastes. Winters are long here and as a result people have developed ways to last through the final stretches, when all the good supplies are used up or dwindling. Surprisingly, the soup is very popular, because the nuts contain many calories and as a result yield a very dense food. Many families or larger tribes have survived solely on this dish in the final months before the snow melts again.