Recipes

René Redzepi Urges You to Cook With Your Dead Christmas Tree

Redzepi's
Redzepi’s “asparagus and spruce” dish, which is made using whole spruce branches for grilling and pine vinegar. Photo: Courtesy of Noma

Don’t kick that already brittle Christmas tree out to the curb just yet! Did you know that it is, in fact, a source of tasty seasoning? Acclaimed chef René Redzepi of Copenhagen’s Noma writes an op-ed in the Times asking, “Why don’t we make greater use of this living tree, as we make use of so many other kinds of plants on earth, by eating it?” Ingredients don’t come easy in Denmark in December, you see, and Redzepi’s been making creative use of evergreen branches for years, which he says you can add to a sauce just like you would a sprig of rosemary. He recommends spruce flavors to go with game, and “Fresh fish, salted for a day and covered in fresh needles, absorbs the forest aroma and emerald color into its flesh.” The recipe fine print in this case, for the inexperienced cooks out there, would be remove branch/needles before serving. But whatever. We doubt most of you are going to try this.

Evergreen, Ever Delicious
[NYT]

René Redzepi Urges You to Cook With Your Dead Christmas Tree