Recipes for Shabbat

Pistachios

By Eileen Goltz

As a kid one of my favorite things to do was get a big bag of red pistachios and suck on them long enough to turn my mouth, tongue, fingers and anything I touched an indelible shade of scarlet. Every couple of weeks my Mom would bring home enough for all of us (dad included) to crack, suck and spit (a technique I still use to this day) and make a fine mess. The taste was sublime, the color just added to its mystique and it was as fine a childhood memory as you could ask for.

As an adult I still eat lots of pistachios but the only ones I seem to find these days are the natural color ones. While I realize that all that red dye number 5 probably wasn't that great for me and the natural color ones taste just as good, I still wanted to know why the natural pistachio is so easy to get and the red ones are so much harder to find.

What I discovered was that up until the early 1970's the only pistachios available to the consumers were imported from the Middle East. American importers dyed the pistachio shells red to disguise all the bruising and cracks that the antiquated harvesting techniques used in the Middle East. The dye was also used to make the pistachio stand out among all the other nuts in the bins. In 1976, however, the first commercially grown North American crop of pistachios became available. They were larger in size, had a more vibrant green nut color then their Middle Eastern cousin and because the newer harvesting techniques caused less bruising the need to dye the nut ceased to exist. However, if you look hard enough you can still find the red pistachios out there in the marketplace. Some of us dye hard red fans (sorry, I can never resist a food pun) still like to indulge.

If you buy pistachios in bulk like I do you'll want to store them in an airtight container. They are available salted or unsalted and shelled or unshelled (tip: always use the shelled unsalted ones for baking or cooking). They can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer for as long as 9 months. I also like to shake things up every once in a while and have been known to substitute pistachios for pecans or walnuts in my tried and true coffee cakes and cookies. Pistachios always add a unique flavor and color to any recipe and I say the best time to eat them is all the time. You will really enjoy the following recipes because they are all as unique and delicious as the pistachios itself.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH PISTACHIOS AND MINT SALAD (pareve)
This vegetable accompaniment could stand on its own as a main course

12 small eggplants, 3-4 inches long
salt

For the Salsa

Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, sprinkle liberally with salt and let drain in a colander for 30 minutes. In a bowl combine the pistachios, mint, parsley, garlic and green onions and mix to combine. Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Wash the eggplants thoroughly to remove the salt and dry well. Place the eggplant halves on a broiler pan and brush the top of each half with olive oil. Place the eggplants under a broiler for 4-5 minutes until skins blister and char. Turn them over and brush the tops with oil, cook approx. 1 minute until brown, and serve immediately with salsa.

APRICOT PISTACHIO STUFFING (pareve or dairy)

Preheat oven to 350 Grease a 3 to 4 quart casserole dish and set it aside. In a sauce pan (or microwave) combine the margarine or butter, water and apricot nectar. Cook until the margarine or butter is melted. Stir in stuffing mix or farfel until the mixture is well moistened. Mix in the pistachios, onion, apricots and dates. Spoon the stuffing in the prepared casserole dish and bake covered for 50 minutes to a 1 hour or until hot and moist. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts stuffing. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

BANANA PISTACHIO BREAD FRENCH TOAST WITH CARAMEL SAUCE (dairy)
This recipe takes a little prep work but the end result is a breakfast so amazing your family will want it for lunch and dinner.

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl combine the sugar with the shortening, eggs and milk and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the milk mixture, mixing so that all the ingredients are combined. Fold in the mashed bananas and add 3/4 cup pistachios. Turn into greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining pistachios on top. Bake for 1 hour or until a pick comes out dry. Cover bread loosely with foil when it gets to desired color if the center isn't quite done and continue baking.

To make the French Toast:
2 to 3 beaten eggs

Cut 3/4-inch thick slices of pistachio banana bread. Dip in well beaten egg until saturated; fry in buttered pan until golden, turning once. Serve with Caramel Sauce.

Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup whipping cream

Melt butter or margarine in saucepan. Stir in brown sugar and whipping cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring until blended then bring to boil and boil gently without stirring for 5 minutes. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

Freezer Tip:

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Prepare Pistachio Banana French Toast and cut and soak the slices in the egg mixture. Once the slice is saturated place the slices on the prepared baking sheet, uncovered, and freeze until firm. Wrap the frozen slices individually and then return them to the freezer. To serve, place desired number of frozen slices on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush each slice with melted butter. Bake in a preheated oven at 500 for 5 minutes. Turn slices over, brush with melted butter, and bake for 5 more minutes or until nicely browned. Makes approximately 12 slices.

SALMON WITH PISTACHIO BASIL BUTTER (dairy)

To make the pistachio basil butter process the pistachios, 10 basil leaves and garlic cloves in a food processor or blender until the mixture is finely chopped. Add 1/2 cup butter and 1 teaspoon lime juice and process until incorporated into the pistachio mixture. Season the pistachio butter to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to small bowl. cover and refrigerate until well chilled. (Pistachio butter can be prepared up to 4 days ahead.)

Preheat oven to 400. Butter 9x13-inch baking dish. Place the sliced onion on the bottom of the dish and then place the salmon fillets on top of the onion in single layer. Pour the white wine over the top of the salmon and then season the top of the salmon with salt and pepper. Bake until the salmon is almost opaque on top, about 10 minutes. Place 2 tablespoons pistachio butter atop each salmon piece. Continue baking until salmon filets are just opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Transfer salmon to plates. Garnish with basil if desired and serve immediately.

COUSCOUS WITH DRIED APRICOTS, DRIED CHERRIES, AND PISTACHIOS (pareve)

In each of two 3-quart saucepans bring half of water, oil, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and apricots to a boil. Stir 1 box couscous into each pan and let stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to 2 shallow baking pans to cool as quickly as possible. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Cool couscous completely and with your fingers break up any large lumps. Couscous may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring couscous to room temperature before proceeding. Fluff couscous with fork again and stir in currants, pistachios, mint, and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 10 TO 12.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.