Showing posts with label pistachios. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pistachios. Show all posts

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Pasta with fresh fig and pistachio


When life hands you fresh, sweet summer figs ...


These are the first of the season, and they came from a fig tree that I have been nursing back to health for more than two years.


I was only cooking for myself last night (Mets and Braves game) and so all I sliced was one of the (very large) figs. The handful of unsalted raw pistachios came from a stash that's always on hand in the freezer.


First I sauteed the pistachios in a mixture of butter and olive oil, but quickly and only to lightly toast the nuts.


Then the figs went in. (I should probably mention that this concoction was not planned and that the ingredients came together on a whim, and on the fly.)


The figs only cooked for about a minute at medium-high heat.


As soon as the pasta was cooked I tossed it in a bowl with some of the (well-salted) pasta water, more butter and a whole lot of Romano cheese.


Then mixed in the figs and pistachios, and added more cheese and some freshly ground pepper.


A little on the quirky side, but not bad.

And I'm pretty sure it'd have tasted even better had my Mets not gotten clobbered by the Braves whilst I was chewing.

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Pistachio cookies


Still into the whole holiday baking routine? Allow me to throw another idea into the mix.

Basically all I did was take my pignoli cookie recipe and turn it into my pistachio cookie recipe.

Who knew this baking game was so simple!


You get yourself a can of pistachio paste, see. Then empty it into the food processor and add sugar and a couple egg whites.


In about 30 seconds your dough is done.


Pinch out some dough and form a cookie, then top with three or four raw pistachios.


Line them up on parchment paper and toss in the oven at 300 degrees F for around 25 minutes.


And that is that.

This batch is on its way to Shyster Jersey Lawyer Friend. Who, coincidentally, left a batch of very fine pignoli cookies at my front door only yesterday.

Thanks, Shy! See you in a bit.

Pistachio Cookies
Recipe
Makes about a dozen cookies

1 11-oz can pistachio paste
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
6 tbsp flour
2 extra large egg whites
unsalted pistachios

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
In a food processor, crumble the pistachio paste, then add the sugars and flour and mix until fine
Add the egg whites and mix until dough forms
Scoop out small amounts of the dough (wet hands help and so I keep a bowl filled with water on hand), then press three or four pistachios on top
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes
Rotate the sheet and bake another 10 minutes
Allow to cool, give a light dusting of confectioners sugar and serve