Pistachio Pesto
Pistachio Infused Oil
Pistachio Pasta Salad
Pistachio-crusted Lemon Chicken
Italian Style Pistachio Pasta
Grilled Honey-Orange Figs with Mascarpone and Pistachios
Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
Pistachio Chocolate Mousse
Pistachio Cheesecake Bars
PISTACHIO PESTO
Against a backdrop of neutral pasta, toasted pistachios add a welcome crisp texture and butter-like flavor.
In a food processor fitted with metal blade and motor running, drop 2 medium cloves peeled garlic; process until minced. Add ½ cup roasted pistachio nuts (salted or unsalted), 3 tablespoons pine nuts and a handful of either fresh mint or basil (about 25-30 large leaves); process until well-chopped. Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, a pinch of dried red chile flakes, plus salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until combined. Toss with 1 pound of hot drained pasta, adding a little of the pasta water to mixture if necessary for desired consistency.
PISTACHIO INFUSED OIL
Drizzle this nutty oil over grilled chicken, fish or cooked veggies.
Place 2 cups roasted and salted pistachios in food processor fitted with metal blade. Pulse until ground. In medium saucepan, heat 2 cups olive oil until warm on medium heat; remove from heat and stir in ground nuts. Cool and pour into jar. Add garlic salt to taste. Seal and refrigerate up to 10 days.
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PISTACHIO PASTA SALAD
Ingredients
8 cups water
1 t salt
1 T vegetable oil
3 C combination rotini, small shells and mostaccioli, uncooked (12 oz)
1 large tomato, seeded & cubed
1 C shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 C blanched pea pods
7.7 oz can whole hearts of palm, drained & sliced in rounds
½ C sliced, pitted ripe olives
1 C marinated artichoke hearts, cubed
½ C pistachios, shelled
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, cut in chunks
Alfalfa sprouts for garnish
Oregano Dressing
½ C olive oil
½ C white wine vinegar
¼ C water
1 garlic clove, pressed
½ t dried oregano leaves, crushed
½ t crushed red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
Oregano Dressing:
Combine all ingredients. Shake well, Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator. Makes 1 ¼ cups. If desired, add juice from 2 lemons to the leftover dressing and massage into Kale leaves to make them tender. Combine Kale with red onion slices and avocado to make a delicious and nutritious salad with a kick!
Prepare Oregano Dressing. Set aside. Bring water to a rapid boil in a heavy 5-quart pot. Add salt and oil. Gradually add pasta, being sure water continues to boil. Cook pasta until tender but firm, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain again. Place cooked pasta in a medium bowl. Toss with ¼ C Oregano Dressing. Refrigerate while preparing remaining salad ingredients. In a large glass bowl, combine tomato, cheese, pea pods, hearts of palm, olives, artichoke hearts, pistachios and avocados. Add chilled pasta. Toss with another ½ C Oregano Dressing. Top with alfalfa sprouts for garnish. Makes 4-6 large servings.
Variation:
Substitute ½ C sunflower seeds or ½ C chopped cashews for the pistachios.
PISTACHIO-CRUSTED LEMON CHICKEN
(www.theepicentre.com)
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups pistachios, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated coarsely
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons cake flour
4 tablespoons chopped assorted herbs (tarragon, basil, parsley)
1/2 cup egg substitute (2 eggs worth)
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
6 (4 oz) chicken breasts, skinned and flattened
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pistachios, cheese, 3 tablespoons flour and chopped herbs -- set aside. Combine eggs and buttermilk and mix well with fork or whisk -- set aside. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dredge into a quarter-cup flour, then into bittermlk mixture, and finally into pistachio mixture, coating completely. Place chicken breasts in baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
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ITALIAN STYLE PISTACHIO PASTA
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 medium yellow onion, cut into thin wedges
¼ cup green bell pepper, finely diced
¼ cup yellow bell pepper, finely diced
¼ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ pound Prosciutto, sliced 1/8 inch thick and diced
1 cup coarsely chopped, natural pistachios
1 ½ teaspoon rosemary, crumbled
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 servings hot cooked penne (or other short, tubular pasta)
Crumbled blue cheese
Melt butter in skillet. Add onion and sauté until nearly tender. Add bell peppers, garlic, prosciutto, pistachios, rosemary and olive oil to skillet. Continue cooking, stirring until hot and sautéed. Add crumbled blue cheese; spoon over hot pasta.
Makes 4 servings.
GRILLED HONEY-ORANGE FIGS with MASCARPONE and PISTACHIOS
(Bobby Flay)
Ingredients
4 tablespoons buckwheat honey, divided
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
12 fresh figs, halved
12-inch wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 pint mascarpone
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
Heat grill to medium. Whisk together 3 tablespoons honey and the orange juice in a small bowl. Brush the honey-orange mixture generously over the figs and the skewer the figs. Grill, cut side down, until just starting to caramelize, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle remaining tablespoon honey over the top. Dollop with mascarpone and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Serve...
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CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO COOKIES (Makes 15)
For the Filling:
¼ cup sugar
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 ounces semisweet chocolate (preferably 55 percent cacao), melted and cooled
For the Cookies:
4 ounces salted shelled pistachios (about 1 cup), ground to a paste in a food processor
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg white
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of coarse salt
For the Coating:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 65 percent cacao), chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
Slivered unsalted shelled pistachios, for garnish
Make Filling: Bring sugar and ¼ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved; set aside.
Put egg yolks in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, and set bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat, whisking, until yolks are warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Fit mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat yolks on medium speed; pour in sugar syrup. Raise speed to high; beat until mixture is cool and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium; drizzle in melted chocolate. Refrigerate filling until firm, about 45 minutes.
Make cookies: Fit mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix pistachio paste and sugar on medium speed in a clean bowl until smooth. Mix in egg white, vanilla, and salt. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a small (about ¼ inch) plain round tip (such as Ateco #10). Pipe 1-inch-diameter rounds onto a baking sheet lined with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper, spacing them 1 inch apart.
Bake until firm and golden around edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack, and let cool completely.
Place cookies, bottom sides up, on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Spread 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons chocolate filling on half of the cookies. Press coated cookies against bottom sides of remaining cookies to make sandwiches. Chill in freezer 1 hour.
Make coating: Heat chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove from heat. Add shortening; stir until combined. Let cool, stirring occasionally, until mixture is lukewarm.
Using a chocolate fork or regular fork, hold 1 cookie at a time above bowl of chocolate coating. Spoon coating over cookie, letting excess drip back into bowl. Transfer to rack set over baking sheet. Garnish cookies with slivered pistachios. Refrigerate until set, 5 minutes. Cookies can be refrigerated, in single layers in airtight containers, up to 3 days.
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PISTACHIO CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Ingredients
3 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1 egg white, stiffly beaten
½ cup whipping cream, whipped
¼ cup chopped shelled unsalted pistachios
Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat; cool. Fold egg white into chocolate mixture; gradually fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Fold in 2 tablespoons pistachios. Spoon into serving dishes; sprinkle with remaining pistachios. Chill 2 hours. Makes four - ½ cup servings.
PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE BARS
Ingredients
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons finely chopped, shelled pistachios
Pistachio Pastry: In a bowl stir together 2/3 cup flour and 5 teaspoons sugar. Cut in 4 tablespoons butter. With a fork stir in 3 tablespoons finely chopped shelled natural pistachios.
Make Pistachio pastry; press into an 8 by 8 by 2 inch baking pan. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 12 to 14 minutes of until lightly browned.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until blended; add eggs, lemon juice, lemon rind and vanilla; beat until blended. Pour over hot crust. Sprinkle with pistachios. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; bake about 15 minutes of until top looks set. Cool completely. Cut in 2 – by 1½ inch bars. Makes 20 bars.
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