Pistachio Pesto
If you love pesto, you are going to love Pistachio Pesto even more. This variant originates in Sicily and it’s a great alternative to the traditional Pesto alla Genovese. And if you’re already a fan of the little green nut, every year in September there is a Pistachio Festival that takes place in Bronte (Sicily) where you can try all sorts of products made of Pistachio. It’s a very specific food festival but it’s really worth visiting.
This sauce is extremely quick to prepare, and you can make it in big batches and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. The texture of this pesto will be more coarse than the traditional one but that’s how it’s meant to be. The Pistachio Pesto, paired with some nice spaghetti, will give you a great rustic dish.
“I really don’t like nuts in food”
I hate to break the news Phil, but nuts are food.
Green & Gold
Ingredients list
200g raw pistachios (without the shell)
Zest of half a lemon
150ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml water
Half a clove of garlic
40g grated parmesan
4 basil leaves
Salt & pepper to taste
Cooking time
20mins (This is for roughly 400g of pesto)
Tools
Blender
Step by step
Put a pan on the hob with water and bring it to a boil
When the water is boiling add the de-shelled pistachios and let the cook for 5min
(This is to get rid of the purple skin that is wrapped around the pistachio)Let the pistachios cool down a bit and one by one, get rid of the skin. Once you finish, you’ll have a bunch of very bright green pistachios
Put all the ingredients — except the water — in the blender and blend
Once you have obtained a cream, slowly add in the water and blend for a couple of minutes
Your pesto is ready to be enjoyed with pasta
Add a fresh drizzle of olive oil before serving
Tips & cheats
Not much can go wrong with this one, but I suggest you taste the pesto while making it so you can adjust it according to your taste. This might mean adding more lemon zest (I love lemon zest) or more cheese. This is the only way to achieve the perfect taste for you.
Once you’ve boiled the pasta make sure you put aside a glass with a bit of the pasta water. This can be added in while you mix the pesto with the pasta and it will help you get a creamier texture. Pistachios are quite dry, and this is the best way to keep them in check. Olive oil is also your ally in this so don’t be afraid to add in some more if you wish.
If you feel the pesto itself is not enough you can add a handful of crispy pancetta on top of your dish right before serving it. The saltiness of the crispy pancetta will complement very well the delicate taste of the pistachio. To obtain a crispy pancetta just use a non-stick pan and let it cook with no added fat until crispy.
You can also use this pesto as a spread on bruschetta.
“I still don’t like nuts in food, but I admit that if I had to choose one nut it would be pistachios”
Well if you don’t like it, I guess there’s more for me to eat!
