It’s pistachio week for Meatless Monday!
We love pistachios in this house – aside from cashews, they have always been one of my favorites – buttery, salty, savory, finger staining goodness! The majority of our pistachios are eaten as is, just snacking. I do like to cook with them, they bring such great flavor.
Before I get to the chili lime pistachio butter, I want to talk about one of my very favorite pistachio recipes ever.
My garlic pistachio cranberry tarts.
I came up with this recipe last year during the holidays, where I made them no less than five times in one month. They are easy, they are sweet and savory and they are one of those things that people rave about.
You know, you pick one up at a party and you may even think “heh, this looks good…” and then you want to steal the whole tray and run from the room, enjoying them all while sitting in a dark room on the bed with everyone’s coats.
What, nobody behaves like that? Me either.
That is these tarts. People will go to spectacular lengths to get them. Really.
Make a double batch. Really.
So. This pistachio butter. So very good. The bold flavors of chili and lime blend perfectly with the buttery savory nut. The pistachio does not seem to have as much natural oil as other nuts I’ve made butter with, so I added a small amount of sesame oil as well. I love the flavor of sesame oil, you could use whatever you prefer.
chili lime pistachio butter
dairy, soy, and gluten free, vegan
makes about 1 1/3 cups pistachio butter
2 cups pistachios, shelled
1-2 tablespoons sesame oil
juice of 2 limes
2-3 tablespoons chili powder*
*start with a small amount and work from there – you can add, you cannot take away.
In food processor, pulse pistachios to a paste – this will take several minutes, going from a crumbly consistency to a ball, then into a paste. Add oil, lime juice and chili powder as you continue to process to a smooth consistency.
Buttery rich, salty tangy spicy all at once. This is a fun one.
More pistachio recipes:
To see even more pistachio recipes, visit Heather and the other #MMAZ participants!
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
I haven’t really met a nut I don’t like. I could eat an entire bag of pistachios. Oh and can we have those little tarts w/ some pistachio ice cream. OMG!
oooh pistachio ice cream. THAT is what I should have made… hmmm…
ahhh now i see this heavenly combo you were mentioning. YOu are brilliant Kris, you know that, right?
thanks, Linds… you are SWEET XO
I was looking forward to this one after the Facebook convo last night! I make this baked tofu with a spicy peanut sauce, but seeing this I think I need to try it with pistachios! I bet it woul rock on some grilled fruit too… Mmmm!
ooh YES – I have made a pistachio crusted tofu before, YUM. I think pistachio BUTTER would be good as a tofu coating too…
Ok, I need those tarts and some of that butter too please and thank you. Sounds absolutely perfect. I love your constant creativity and your photos….I want to lick the screen
thank you, Heather – that makes me smile big! wish I could just send this all your way…
I love the touch of sesame oil you added – we love pistachios in our house, but I’ve never tried making butter out of it. We just pop them in our mouths
.
such a rich flavor, we are loving pistachios as nut butter!
Just discovered your blog and I LURVE it. We’re a Meatless Monday household ourselves, so this pistachio butter is right up our alley. YUM.
thank you so much, Stephanie! take a look at my Meatless Monday category, there’s a lot of great stuff there! (actually ALL of my recent recipes are meatless…)
Cheers!
I am with you – I can’t get enough pistachios!!!
so so good!
Okay, this one sounds SUPER interesting. I can imagine some really intriguing pizzas with pistachio butter in place of sauce!
Mmm, I like the way you think, Eileen!
I’ve made nut butters but never with pistachios – great flavors here!
thanks, Laura – the pistachio worked as well as any nut butter I have made (my favorite is Marcona almond butter…), and I will have to make more because Jason is a pistachio fiend!
I absolutely love love love pistachios! This is such a good idea… thanks my friend!!
you are welcome, Kate – enjoy!!
As soon as I saw this week was pistachio, I immediately wondered if pistachio butter was a thing. And of course you’ve solved that mystery for me
I love the buttery/creaminess of pistachios too, they are such a treat.
it is a thing in this house! it took on a very dark color with the chili powder, which makes it even more unique. very tasty, I’m going to have to make more…
Both of these recipes sound awesome – especially as I have many more pistachios left in my kitchen (and not much else, I need to go shopping!). Have I told you recently how much I love your photos? Your food always looks amazing in them, I’m trying to learn from your expertise! =)
aw, thank you so much, Heather, that just made my day! some days it is a struggle, the photos definitely do not come easy!
The chili powder – you mean the blend that includes cumin, etc, yes? Not just just ground chiles.
YES! this is a good question – I just looked at the label (Penzeys) and it says “ancho chili, cumin, garlic, Mexican oregano”
{ 2 trackbacks }