Pecans: Love it or leave it, it's a distinctive nut

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Like so many food lovers, we had always respected the venerable food writer Waverley Root. And then we read the entry for "pecan" in his last book, the 1980 omnibus "Food: An Authoritative Visual History and Dictionary of the Foods of the World," which starts, innocently enough, with this sentence: "The pecan is a nut originally 100 percent American which has been allowed to remain 95 percent American."

Fine. He's close enough on that one. According to the National Pecan Shellers Association, American Indians began cultivating wild pecans in the 1500s. Today we Americans grow about 80 percent of the world's pecans, and we each eat about half a pound per year. It wouldn't be a bad idea for us to eat more, because they are extremely rich in antioxidants and may help lower cholesterol.

Root also is perfectly interesting when it comes to pecan history, stating that pecans originated in Texas and were loved by pre-Columbian Indians, who pressed them for oil, ground them to thicken stews, roasted them for hunting expedition rations, and mixed them with vegetables.

But for some reason, in order to "explain" why the lovely nut never caught on abroad, he brands pecan trees with the labels "crochety," "difficult," "erratic" and "finicky," among several other unflattering adjectives. And that very well may be true; we can't say because we never talked to a pecan tree, although we will note that most cultivated Southerners would never resort to name calling.

Anyway, the last straw in his pecan attack is his claim that their tepid reception abroad has been due not to their flavor (which he admits is "agreeably sweet and mild"), but their "lack of originality" because, he claims, they look and taste like walnuts.

Which, of course, has led us to believe that Root may have been a little nuts himself. Most pecan-lovers can tell the difference with their eyes closed, especially if the pecan in question fell that day from a back-yard pecan tree. A fresh pecan is sweet but slightly toasty, buttery and tender and simply delightful. So distinctive, too, that it inspired an archetypal pie. Who eats walnut pie? And unlike the walnut, which has an unknown provenance and will apparently grow in just about any country that invites it over, the pecan gives us a chance to be proud of things still made in America.

We like to eat pecans out of hand, and in simpler recipes in which their flavor comes through. In this salad, the nuts get a quick crisping up in bacon drippings. Delicious, and quite distinctive.

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144,000,000: Number of pecans it would take to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool, according to the National Pecan Shellers Association.

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BITTER GREENS WITH BACON, PECANS AND WARM BALSAMIC DRESSING

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

This salad was developed by Emily Nunn, using Lynn Rosetto Kasper's "The Splendid Table" and the memory of a recipe in a very old issue of Metropolitan Home magazine as her guides.

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4 to 5 slices bacon, cut crosswise into ˝-inch pieces.

1 cup pecan halves

Ľ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

2 shallots, halved lengthwise, sliced into Ľ-inch slices

˝ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Ľ cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar

8 cups mixed bitter greens (arugula, radicchio, endive)

1. Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until crisp; remove to a paper-towel-lined plate. Cool; crumble. Remove all but Ľ cup of the bacon grease in the skillet; toss in pecans. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, being careful not to burn, about 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon to paper towel.

2. Add olive oil to skillet; heat over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots, salt and pepper; cook until garlic and shallots are softened, 1-2 minutes. Add the vinegars and brown sugar; cook until dressing comes to a boil, about 2 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Place greens, pecans and bacon in a salad bowl; drizzle with dressing to taste.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 389 calories, 80 percent of calories from fat, 36 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 14 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 455 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

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© 2008, Chicago Tribune.