The Best Recipes with Ground Pistachio

There’s just something about pistachios that makes these edible seeds a favourite snack and ingredient in many countries all over the world. Its mild and nutty flavour makes it great to use in both savoury and sweet dishes, and not just in ice cream. 

Whether chopped up or ground and sprinkled over baked goods and oatmeal as a topping, blended into a salad dressing or added as texture for pesto or made into a paste or butter to spread on biscuits or English muffins, there’s practically no end to the uses for pistachios. With so many options, how do you know where to start? If you haven’t tried cooking or baking with them yet, here are two great recipes to try first.

Pistachio-Yogurt Sauce

This sauce is great with grilled or roasted meat, or as a side to some crispy-skinned fish. You’ll need 1 cup raw pistachios, a finely grated garlic clove, a teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest, ¼ cup of olive oil, 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, Kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. 

1. Toast the pistachios until golden brown, then process until finely ground. 
2. Add the garlic and lemon zest first, processing until they form a coarse paste. 
3. Then, add the olive oil and further blend until you get a smooth mixture. 
4. Place the yogurt in a separate bowl and drizzle in a little olive oil until the consistency matches the pistachio paste. 
5. Then, fold the latter into the former.

Leek and Potato Galette with Pistachio Crust

You will need the usual ingredients for galette dough plus coarsely ground pistachio nuts. For the filling, you’ll need the white and pale-green parts of a large leek and two large Yukon Gold potatoes; both leek and potatoes should be thinly sliced. You’ll also need 5 tablespoons of heavy cream and four ounces of fresh goat cheese, along with 4 tablespoons of finely chopped dill. 

1. Make the galette dough, then cover with plastic and let it chill for at least 30 minutes. 
2. The leek should be cooked until softened; meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients except the potatoes and the dill.
3. To assemble the galettes, divide the dough into four pieces, rolling each one out into an eight-inch round. 
4. Spread ¼ of the goat cheese mixture, then scatter 1 tablespoon of dill on top before adding a thin layer of potatoes, drizzled oil, and then ¼ of the cooked leeks. 
5. Repeat for the other three rounds, then fold the edges of the dough over the filling, and brush each galette with beaten egg before baking until the crusts are golden brown and the potatoes are soft. 

There are certainly more recipes, but trying these two first will give you an idea why pistachios are great in savoury dishes, too, not just in sweet treats. The pistachio-yogurt sauce alone will let you try and see how it complements different dishes that it can be used in. 

If you’re asking where to buy ground pistachio nuts and aren’t sure where to look in Australia, just visit this page to get started.