Sure, it’s all well and good to talk about how good for you nuts can be, but that doesn’t help you work them into your daily routine. Yes, you can eat nuts raw or roasted or even work them into your morning oatmeal, but here are three recipes to really make them yummy.
Pistachio-Watercress Pesto
(Courtesy of Leslie Lampert of Cafe of Love 38 E Main St, Mount Kisco 914-242-1002 cafeofloveny.com)
½ cup shelled pistachios
4 cloves garlic
4 cups fresh watercress (tough stems removed)
1 cup fresh parsley
1 ½ cups olive oil (she uses half extra-virgin and half regular olive oil)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Combine pistachios, garlic, watercress, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Slowly add oil while the blade is running and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Stir over pasta and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped, toasted pistachios. The recipe can be adapted to a number of spring and summer greens. Lampert says she likes this classic pesto over garganelli.
Candied Pecans
(Courtesy of Chef Mike Ballew, recently with Comfort in Hastings)
1 egg white
1 cup pecans
3 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 400°. Beat egg white, add pecans, and toss to coat. Add sugar and bake for 10 minutes.
Pistachio-Crusted Tuna
(Courtesy of Chef Mike Ballew, recently with Comfort in Hastings)
1 6-oz tuna steak
½ cup green shelled pistachios
5 Tbsp olive oil
Chop pistachios into coarse pieces. Coat tuna with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roll it in pistachios to coat. Place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in sauté pan and heat until smoking. Heat tuna for 2 minutes on each side for rare or 4 minutes for medium rare. Serve with green salad or polenta.
Chop pistachios into coarse pieces. Coat tuna with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roll it in pistachios to coat. Place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in sauté pan and heat until smoking. Heat tuna for 2 minutes on each side for rare or 4 minutes for medium rare. Serve with green salad or polenta.