Twice-Fried Shrimp Pinecones with Pine Nuts

The Japanese use a great deal of symbolism in the presentation of their food. Pine trees, for example, represent constant hardiness and are popular motifs in menus celebrating the New Year. These edible pinecones are shaped from a shrimp forcemeat studded with pine nuts and then fried. The forming of these spheres is a bit tricky, but even slightly misshapen, they make delicious hors d’oeuvres!