Moules eclade

A bitterly cold January night left a dusting of frost across the garden this morning; the darker corners clinging on icily as I arranged the mussels on the board. Wonderful, resinous smoke plumes through the shellfish as the pine needles burn - I can honestly say that this has become my favourite way of cooking mussels.

Fresh mussels
A large bag of pine needles (they need to be tinder-dry, otherwise they won't light)

1 Balance four mussels hinge side up in a cross shape in the centre of an old wooden board or large flat stone (a piece of bread in the centre is handy if they keep falling over. Build up a concentric circle of mussels around the cross, making sure that they're all hinge side up.
2 Add a three inch layer of pine needles on top of the mussels. Light the needles; once they have all burnt away, blow away the ash and eat the mussels. Great with crusty bread - oh, best not to eat any mussels that haven't opened...

Pine needle vinegar

The problem lies with its ubiquity within the household cleaning/room fragrance market. One brings a fair amount of nasal baggage to the Pine table (not literally - ours is Beech); it's hard to shake off when you start to cook with it. I made a bottle of Pine needle syrup a couple of months ago - to be honest, it was like sucking on a Glade Plug In.

Pine needle vinegar is quite a different story. Subtract sweetness for acidity; the Pine notes are still there, but the results are far more interesting. It's pretty simple to make too.

Scots Pine needle vinegar
Cider or white wine vinegar
A bag of Scots Pine boughs

Remove the pine needles from the boughs and wash. Bring the vinegar to the boil, then allow to cool for a short while. While it's cooling, fill a sterilized bottle with Scots pine needles, then pour in the warm vinegar. Leave in a dark spot for about two months before using.