Pistachio Pesto

 

Pesto means “paste” and can be made of nearly anything, but I love nut based pestos.  For this one the star isn’t a soft herb, like basil or parsley.  Instead it’s pure pistachio nuts with a few garlic cloves, some salt and parmesan and enough olive oil to give me the texture I want.  Nut pestos can be assertive and the texture quite thick, so it’s important to “lighten” them before tossing with pasta with just a bit of the pasta cooking water.  I wait until the pasta is boiling and has given the water the gift of a bit of starch.  Then I start adding the cooking water one tablespoon at a time to the pesto until I reach a texture that will just nap the pasta without overwhelming it or any additional ingredients I’m adding.

I was inspired to make this pesto by a bag of the very rare Sicilian Bronte pistachios I bought from Brett Ottolenghi’Artisanal Foods in Las Vegas.

Don’t skimp on the quality of oil you use.  I had a bottle of Cappezzana Oil from the famed Tuscan estate and put it to good use. This is exactly what these high end oils are good for.

Pistachio Pesto

Course: Condiment, Pantry Item (refrigerator)
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups raw pistachio nuts
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oilof exceptional quality
Salt to taste
1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
5 cloves peeled garlic
10 small basil leaves fresh, optional
1/4 cup Italian parsley sprigs whole, optional

Instructions
1. Put nuts, garlic and salt in blender or food processor bowl with 1/2 cup of the olive oil.

2. Blend or process until nuts break down and begin to form a puree. With the motor running slowly add half the remaining oil.

3. If you are using the basil/and or parsley add it now and process until it combines with the puree.

4. Add the parmigiano and process until it is amalgamated into the puree

5. Continue pureeing the mixture while adding the remaining oil.