Pistachio Pesto - A Twist On The Traditional Pesto Recipe. You'll Be Hooked! (2024)

FAQs

What is pistachio pesto made of? ›

Pistachio Pesto Ingredients:

Shelled Pistachios: Don't worry, if yours have shells on them, it'll only take about 5 minutes to pop them off. Parmesan Cheese: Freshly and finely grated (you can use pre-grated cheese to save a step, but will need a bit more since it's not as flavorful) Garlic: Always.

Many pesto recipes call for raw pine nuts, but toasting the nuts can make the final sauce's flavor deeper and richer. Toast the nuts and then combine them—either as a paste or whole—with fresh basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic.

You can use any nuts for pesto (it's a generic term, meaning paste). You can use any greens, too. I use walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, almonds, arugula, mâche, basil, whatever I have on hand. I don't ever measure, either.

The key nut ingredient in pesto sauce is typically pine nuts, renowned for their distinct nutty taste. They are combined with fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil to craft the signature flavor of pesto.

Pesto is a sauce originating in Genoa, located in Italy's northern region. It originated around the 16th century and traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and pine nuts blended with Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

Method. Toast the pistachio nuts in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat until they are a light brown colour. Keep them moving to prevent burning. Add basil leaves, Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic clove and a drizzle of oil to a pestle and mortar and grind until creamy.

The most common reason for pesto tasting bitter is that the olive oil is past its best and has started to turn rancid. If the pesto has been made in a food processor or blender, there's also the possibility that it has turned bitter from the crude, sheering action of the blades.

PESTO SHOULD NEVER BE “COOKED”. If you cook Pesto Sauce, you change the make up of the fresh basil and cause it to turn darker in color. It is best to warm it up and use it at room temperature. If it needs to be thinned out, you can do so by adding a little water, chicken stock, cream or white wine.

The ice will shock the herbs and prevent them from browning. You can do this with any type of pesto with other herbs and greens such as parsley, mint or arugula.

You can freeze a batch of pesto in ice cube trays for future consumption. Simply fill the portions of the ice tray, and place the tray into the freezer. Then, once the cubes are frozen (it should take a few hours), remove them from the tray and place them in a freezer bag.

Should pine nuts be raw or dry roasted for pesto? ›

The difference between raw and toasted pine nuts is significant. Not only does toasting nuts amplify their nuttiness, but it also introduces complex flavours and makes them crunchier. We're not fans of those qualities, so while you won't find us making pesto with toasted pine nuts, a lot of cooks recommend it.

Non-traditional variants of pesto

For reasons of expense or availability, almond, Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio, walnut, or even peanuts are sometimes substituted for the traditional pine nuts. Also, while the nuts are traditionally raw, some recipes call for prior toasting or roasting.

If you don't have fresh lemon you can substitute lime juice or apple cider vinegar. This will change the final flavor but still works well.

Macadamia nuts offer a creamy, buttery flavor that is incredible in pesto. They are very expensive nuts, however, so don't plan on using them as a cost-effective alternative to pine nuts.

Pesto Sauce

This fresh and fragrant pasta sauce is served uncooked, so choose a pasta shape that won't overwhelm it. Similar to oil-based sauces, pesto is served best with longer cuts of pasta, like the corkscrew shape of Fusilli. Pesto works best with Bucatini, Capellini, thinner Spaghettini, and Fettuccine.

The reason is because classic basil pesto contains pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which are both made from milk curdled in animal rennet. That means that most of the pesto sauces you see on supermarket shelves are not vegetarian.

What does pesto taste like? Traditional pesto is a thick, green sauce that tastes bright and herby from the basil, and salty and rich from the cheeses and pine nuts. It should be garlicky, with pleasant grassiness from good quality olive oil.

While you can use a variety of ingredients to make pesto, basil is a classic choice. But in this recipe, we're taking it up a notch by adding pistachio nuts instead of pine nuts. Pistachios give the pesto a nutty, buttery flavor that really makes it stand out.

Pine nut seeds are traditionally used in pesto and are delicious, but they are expensive. If desired, substitute the pine nuts for nuts such as walnuts, pecans or almonds.