On the Menu: Pistachios
Pistachios are one of the most important ingredients in the Sicilian kitchen. They're a great source of healthy fats, fiber, protein, antioxidants and various nutrients, including vitamin B6 and potassium. Given their nutritious benefits, we've created a Mediterranean three-course meal with pistachios.
Starter: Italian Lupini Bean Salad with Crushed Pistachios
Ingredienti:
- ½ cup baby spinach
- 1 cup Lupini beans
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- black pepper
- 1 ½ tbsp pistachios
Preparazione:
- Place the spinach at the bottom of a small bowl and set aside.
- In another small bowl, mix together the beans, mustard, olive oil, red pepper, and black pepper.
- Finish by sprinkling the crushed pistachios on top.
Main: Sicilian Pistachio Pesto
Ingredienti:
- 100g pistachios
- 1/2 garlic clove
- 1 handful basil leaves
- 1 handful mint leaves
- 10g grated Parmesan
- 60ml olive oil
- sea salt flakes
- freshly ground black pepper
- lemon juice
- 200g short pasta (like trofie, fusilli, or orecchiette)
Preparazione:
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Meanwhile, add the pistachios, garlic, basil, and mint to a food processor. Blend until finely chopped.
- Mix in the olive oil and Parmesan and pulse until a thick pesto forms.
- Taste and season with lemon juice, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the pesto, adding a little pasta water to loosen if needed.
- Serve immediately, garnished with extra herbs or grated Parmesan if desired.
Dessert: Pistachio Amaretti
Ingredienti:
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp Amaretto or vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup ground pistachios
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tbsp chopped pistachios, for coating
Preparazione:
- Preheat oven to 165C and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg and sugar. Stir in the Amaretto or vanilla extract.
- Add the almond flour, ground pistachios and baking powder and stir until combined and a firm dough is formed.
- Shape the dough into balls, roughly the size of a tablespoon. Lightly sprinkle in the icing sugar, shaking off any excess.
- Press down lightly on the chopped pistachios and place the balls with the pistachios facing up on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat the same steps again for each Amaretti ball.
- Bake for 16 minutes until they're golden.
- Transfer to rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
In the same way that eating pistachios promotes good health from the inside out, we also promote good skin from the outside in by applying Pistachio Oil topically.
The following products contain Pistachio Oil:
