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Ask Italians the correct way to cook bolognese, ragu, gnocchi or polenta and you'll get a different answer from all of them. And they're all correct! Ingredients and methods vary between regions, creating unique geographical and cultural signatures on the food. Pesto is no exception. Recently, a charming Sicilian customer was delighted with our vibrant and fresh Australian grown Pistachios, and told me about his family's pesto recipe. In the south, he said, it's common to have Pesto made from pistachios, basil, olive oil, mint and parmesan. He was insistent on 3 things: 1. Unlike the classic pine nut pesto that most of us are familiar with, which uses just a handful of nuts to a whole bunch of basil. The pistachio version should be all about the pistachios, with the rest of the ingredients playing second fiddle. The mixture should be ⅔ pistachios. 2. Don't grind it finely. You should be able to see some pistachio pieces at the end. 3. "No garlic!" Here is my attempt at his beloved Pistachio Pesto. It was absolutely delicious. Hope you all enjoy it!  Pasta alla Trapanese, aka Pistachio Pesto
Serves 4 Ingredients 400 g pasta of choice 200g raw pistachios 50 ml extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 40 g Parmesan or Pecorino grated salt for pasta and to season pepper to season ½ bunch basil, leaves only Handful mint leaves Method Put a large pot of water onto a boil for the pasta. Salt generously. "Pasta water should taste like the sea". Put the pistachios in a blender or food processor, add the grated cheese, lemon juice, herbs and half of the olive oil. As you start to blend/pulse add the rest of the olive oil until you get a dense pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook the pasta al dente. Save a cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Add some of the pasta cooking water to the pesto to make it a little more liquidy and creamier. This step is crucial. It really elevates the pesto to something special. Then add the pistachio pesto to the pasta and mix together well. Serve immediately with extra grated cheese as required. PIMP MY RECIPE *Fried breadcrumbs are a fabulous addition. Tear 2-3 slices of stale bread into pieces and blitz briefly in the food processor until you have coarse crumbs. Then pan fry them gently in a low to medium pan with a splash of olive oil until just crunchy. Use as garnish before serving. *If pesto without garlic just feels wrong to you, please add a clove. I recommend sautéing it low and slow first to mellow the flavour. *Mr Sicilian says that almonds are often used in addition to or in place of pistachios. Roasted gives a better texture *I love hazelnut pesto. It brings a really unique, modern flavour to the classic simplicity of pesto. Use raw or roasted hazelnuts. No need to remove skin, as it's a rustic dish.
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It was the humble lima bean that cemented my love of legumes. Other beans all have their place in my cooking arsenal, but lima beans, with their creamy and comforting texture, are my absolute favourite. When I discovered that they also go by the names Butter Beans and Gigante, a plethora of recipes became available to me! This one is my favourite. Enjoy as a hearty breakfast with a slice of buttery toast, a relaxed and cosy supper, or as a side dish for a bigger feast.  Ingredients:
250g dried lima/ butter beans 100ml olive oil 2 onions, finely diced 2 carrots, finely diced 3 celery stalks, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 2 x 400g tinned tomatoes OR 800g ripe tomatoes,roughly chopped Juice of ½ a lemon 1 tsp sweet paprika 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp sugar 2 tsp vegetable stock Salt and pepper ½ tsp lemon myrtle (optional) Handful flat-leaf parsley or oregano, finely chopped 100g feta or goats cheese (optional) Method: The night before, pop your lima beans in a large cooking pot. Cover with cold tap water - the beans absorb a lot, so really fill that pot to the brim! Cover and leave overnight. 8-12 hours is ideal soaking time. The next day, drain the water and replace with fresh tap water then set it on the stove. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to get a nice gentle simmer for 20-30 mins. They should be almost soft, ¾ cooked. Drain, but keep a cup of the cooking liquid. Heat the oil in a large flameproof lidded casserole pot, and cook the onions, carrots and celery on low-medium heat until tender and the onions are soft and transparent, but not browned. Stir in the remaining ingredients - garlic, tomatoes, lemon, paprika, oregano, sugar, vegetable stock, lemon myrtle (if using) Add in half of the chopped herbs and feta (if using). Heat oven to 180C/160C fan. Cook over a gentle heat for a further 5 mins, then pour over the reserved bean cooking liquid. Cover the dish and bake in the oven for 30-40 mins. Check occasionally that the beans are not drying out – add a little more water if needed. Remove the lid and bake for 5 mins more. Stir through the reserved chopped herbs, season to taste, then crumble over the remaining feta, along with a generous glug of olive oil just before serving. Can be made 2 days ahead and reheated. It also freezes well for up to 6 months. There are many reasons to love shortbread, both the making and eating:
Shortbread is generally made with regular flour. Today, we're using kamut. The result is a rich, deep flavour that I think you'll love as much as we do. You'll notice I include a bit of rice flour in the recipe. This helps give the shortbread light texture and perfect crumb. If you don't have rice flour on hand, just add an extra 50g kamut.  Ingredients:
200g kamut flour 50g white rice flour 125g butter (or Nutalex) 70g caster sugar 1 tbsp lavender flowers 1 tbsp lemon juice Method: Cream butter and sugar until light and airy, add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Don't go too crazy or it'll be a tough shortbread. Press into the bottom of tart or cake tin - one with a removable base!. Cut into slices with a knife then prick all over with a fork. Pop in the fridge for 15 mins. Then turn your oven on to 170C (150C fan forced). Bake on the centre rack of the oven for 20 mins. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 mins before carefully removing from the tin and sliding onto a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container in the fridge; it'll keep for up to a week. Freezes really well for up to 3 months. This anytime recipe is a great one to have in your arsenal, as most of the ingredients can be found in the pantry. Whether it's served as a quick midweek dinner or as an accompaniment to a fancier feast, I think you'll find that it's a handy dish to keep up your sleeve. Winner winner, midweek dinner!  Serves 3-4 as a main and up to 6 as a side.
Ingredients: 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 1 onion, finely diced 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp ground turmeric Pinch ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1 2/3 cups water 1 tsp veg stock powder 2 tsp dried currants 1 cup wholemeal couscous Handful chopped fresh mint or coriander 3-4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice Method: In a medium saucepan, dry-fry the almonds for 1 min over a medium heat until they just start to turn golden. Tip the almonds immediately into a bowl and set aside. Put the saucepan back on the stove. Heat the oil and butter* in the saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add couscous and stir for 1 minute. Add the water and stock powder, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the currants, cover pan with a lid, remove the pan from the heat, and let sit for 5 minutes with lid on so the currants can plump and the couscous can absorb all the stock. Remove the lid. Fluff the couscous with a fork. Add the fresh herbs, dates, lemon juice and almonds and fold them into the couscous. Serve immediately or pop in the fridge to enjoy as a salad the next day. *Why use a combination of butter and oil? When you want that unbeatable, fried buttery taste but want to cook at higher temps, adding a glug of oil will help prevent burning, as oil has a higher smoke point! Pimp My Recipe *Add some cooked chickpeas or lentils at the end of cooking time * Try adding a tsp or 2 of our Falafel Mix to rev up the flavour * Toppings - sprinkle on some Dukkah just before serving. Or, for a truly top-shelf finish, crumble some of our Rose, Pistachio and Orange Buckinis over the top - so good! This week we serve up 2 savoury Adzuki ideas for you to try out at home: Zingy Adzuki salad to celebrate the end of summer, and Adzuki Stuffed Roast Pumpkin to usher in those autumnal vibes. The delicate, nutty flavour of adzuki lends itself well to savoury dishes too.  Ingredients: 1 cup dried adzuki beans ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil 3 tbsp sunflower oil 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger ½ tsp finely chopped garlic 1/2 bunch coriander or parsley coarsely chopped 2 tbsp white wine vinegar pinch chilli flakes 1 tbsp tamari ¼ cup lime juice 1 cup shallots thinly sliced 1 cup grated carrots 1/4 cup sesame seeds 1 tbsp sunflower seeds Method: The night before you plan to eat: Put beans in a large bowl, cover with water and let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans and put in a large pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, approx 50 minutes. Drain and rinse gently under cold water. Set aside to let cool completely. Dressing: Put oils, ginger, garlic, coriander or parsley, vinegar, chilli flakes, tamari and lime juice into a jar and shake well. Pour dressing over cooked and cooled beans. Add shallots and carrots and toss gently to combine. Top with sesame and sunflower seeds.  Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried adzuki beans 1/2 cup walnut pieces 1/2 of a butternut pumpkin 1 tbsp miso paste 2 tbsp mirin or apple cider vinegar Dressing: 2 tsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 1 tsp minced ginger pinch of chili flakes remaining miso–mirin mixture from above Garnish: 1/4 cup shallots, finely sliced 1/4 cup walnuts pieces Method: The night before you plan to eat: Put beans in a large bowl, cover with water and let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans and put in a large pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, approx 40 minutes. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Put walnut pieces on a baking sheet and toast them for 5 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 200°C (180°C fan forced). Scoop the seeds out of your pumpkin half and lightly drizzle or brush the cut side with sunflower oil. Place pumpkin cut side down on a lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes. Mix miso and mirin (or apple cider vinegar) together. Take the pumpkin out of the oven and carefully flip it. Score the pumpkin: cut crisscross pattern onto the surface of the softened pumpkin flesh. Spread 2/3 of the miso mixture over the scored surface of the pumpkin. Return the pumpkin to the oven for 20 minutes. Make the dressing by mixing vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, minced ginger and chili flakes. Add rest of the miso & mirin mixture to the dressing. Add the dressing to beans while they are still hot. Add shallots and walnuts to the bean mixture (save some shallots and walnut pieces for garnishing). Stuff roasted pumpkin with bean mixture and garnish with shallot slices and walnuts. Serve with remaining dressing. PIMP MY RECIPE If you have any leftover cooked rice, couscous or pasta, add it to the bean mixture. I used some cooked brown rice the last time I made this dish and it made the meal go further as well as adding a new flavour and texture dimension. |
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