Gift Guide 2019: Pining for This

Would you be shocked to learn that the pinenuts you're most likely using in your pesto come from China or Siberia?

I was. On a recent trip to Italy I couldn't help noticing that the pinoli in the markets were much larger than the ones I buy at home.

Back in my own kitchen, I scrutinized the pinenuts in my freezer. (They're filled with oil, which means that left in the cupboard they quickly go bad.) Sure enough, the label said something about the various countries the pinenuts might have come from, and not one of them was Italy or the United States.

I took out a handful and laid them next to the ones I'd bought in Italy. Half the size! Then I tasted them: half the flavor too.

If you're looking for a thoughtful and inexpensive gift for a cook, you could hardly do better than Gustiamo Pinoli which are organically grown and harvested by hand. I can't think of a better way to stuff a stocking.