Is there a more perfect snack than pistachios?

They're delicious, good for you, and by having to wrestle them from their shells, offer finger exercises. It also slows down your consumption. Everything in moderation, you know.

Of course, you can say those same things about oranges, too, but really, aren't pistachios more fun?

Pistachio is also a favorite flavor of ice cream, a fine nut to find in a biscotti and a tasty crust for fish or chicken on the grill.

As for all those shells, when you're done, use them as drainage chips in pots and planters or save them to plant in the garden around your favorite plants. Snails don't like their sharp edges.

A 1 ounce serving of pistachios equals 49 nuts and delivers 160 calories, zero cholesterol, six grams of protein and 13 fat grams. For comparison, cashews have the same amount of fat grams and peanuts have 14, while almonds have 15, macadamias 22, pecans 21 and walnuts 19.

Of all the commonly consumed nuts, pistachios, actually have fewer calories than other nuts. Only cashews come close to their nutritional profile. But they are too easy to eat endlessly, as you don't have to work to shell them.

Pistachios offer potassium (as much as half a banana) and protein. They have more dietary fiber and thiamin than yeast breads. Like olive oil, pistachios contain monounsaturated fat that has been linked with lowered cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. The nuts have copper (one of the reasons people eat liver is for copper, which helps the body make hemoglobin) and magnesium, which is also found in spinach.

Many diets, including the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) recommend four or five servings of nuts each week.

So why not celebrate the pistachio. Now that they aren't all red we don't even have to worry about painted hands anymore either.

Why were they red anyway, you wonder? Because in the 1930s, importers began dyeing the shells bright red to disguise blemishes that occurred during harvesting and so to make them more attractive to consumers. That's the explanation of Jacques L. Rolland in "The Cook's Essential Kitchen Dictionary" published by Robert Rose.

Pistachios are the seeds from the fruit of a small Persian tree, Pistachia vera, and they've been cultivated at least 3,000 years, Rolland writes, widely in Central Asia to the Mediterranean region.

You might remember that during the Iran hostage crisis, when the U.S. Embassy was attacked and Americans were taken hostage for more than a year, pistachios were in short supply. The crisis interrupted exports of pistachios from Iran, the world's leading pistachio producer, and sent prices soaring.

That's when California got into pistachios big time. Though the tree was experimented with in California in the 1930s, big commercial plantings didn't develop until 1970, when farmers began diversifying from a heavy almond industry. The first major commercial crop was harvested in 1976. With the Iran export problem, California revved up production, and today is second only to Iran in pistachio production, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, a group of experts from Iowa State University, Kansas State University and the University of California, who serve as an information resource for agricultural producers.

California producers aren't likely to sit back and rest on their success. They formed the California Pistachio Commission 25 years ago, and this year the organization has put together a free booklet of recipes written by 18 chefs from restaurants around the country. Each uses pistachios in a different way and each goes way beyond snacking. Copies of "America's Top Chefs Go Nuts for California Pistachios" are free. Just visit www.pistachios.org and click the order form.

If you can't wait the four weeks for the booklet to arrive, here are some recipes with which to get stared.

 

LINGUINE WITH PISTACHIOS, GARLIC AND THYME

 

Food Network host and chef Dave Lieberman, created this easy-to-prepare pasta dish.

 

1/2 pound linguine

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves

Few sprigs thyme

Few dashes red chili flakes

3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

Cook linguine until al dente (tender on outside but firm in center). Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute garlic, thyme and chili flakes until garlic is slightly browned. Discard garlic and thyme. Add pistachios to oil and heat until fragrant. Add pasta in saute pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 2.

 

PISTACHIO CRUSTED LEMON CHICKEN WITH MIXED GREENS

 

Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey's personal chef and a cookbook author, "artfully" created this chicken entree.

 

1-1/4 cups pistachios, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated coarsely

1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons cake flour

4 tablespoons chopped assorted herbs (tarragon, basil, parsley)

1/2 cup egg substitute (equivalent of 2 eggs)

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

6 (4-ounce) chicken breasts, skinned and flattened

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine pistachios, cheese, 3 tablespoons cake flour and chopped assorted herbs. Reserve.

Combine egg substitute and buttermilk and mix well with fork or whisk. Set aside.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dredge into a quarter-cup cake flour, then into buttermilk mixture, and finally into pistachio mixture, coating completely.

Place chicken breasts in baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes.

 

MIXED GREENS SALAD WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING

 

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, crushed through a press

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

Combine the balsamic and red wine vinegars, mustard and garlic in a blender. With machine running, gradually add the olive oil through the opening in lid to process into a thick dressing.

Season with salt and pepper. (The dressing can be made up to a week ahead, stored in a covered container and refrigerated. Stir well before using.)

Allow 2 to 3 tablespoons of dressing per serving. A cup of dressing should easily be enough for 6 to 8 servings of mixed greens.

Slice and serve each chicken breast accompanied with 1 cup of mixed greens drizzled with balsamic dressing. Serves 6.

 

PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

 

Renowned pastry chef, cookbook author and founder of La Brea Bakery, Nancy Silverton, created this dessert cookie.

 

3/4 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1 cup granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs

2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose or pastry flour, plus extra for dusting

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup pistachios, shelled

1/2 cup dried currants or raisins

 

Fill bowl of electric mixer with warm water, and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Empty the warm water from the mixing bowl and wipe it dry with a kitchen towel. Using the mixer's paddle attachment and starting on low speed, cream the butter. As it starts to soften, increase the speed to medium. Cream the butter until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed. Add the sugar, mixing until well-blended, about 1 minute.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 2 of the eggs. Add the eggs in 3 portions to the butter mixture, mixing on medium speed between each addition.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt. Combine thoroughly. Add half the flour mixture to the creamed butter, and mix on medium-low for about 1 minute; then add the remaining half and mix until almost combined, about 1 minute more.

Add the pistachios and the dried currants or raisins, and mix until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute longer.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly dust a smooth working surface and your hands with flour. Turn the dough out on the work surface, and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll it out into a log about 1 inch in diameter and 10 inches long. It is important to work the dough firmly to ensure that there are no air pockets in the middle of the log. Transfer the log to the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the logs about 4 to 5 inches apart. Flatten each log slightly, to form a loaf about 3 inches wide and 11 inches long. Separate the remaining egg, reserving only the white. Brush the top of the loaves lightly with the egg white.

Bake the loaves until they fall, expand in width to about 4 inches wide, and are firm to the touch and lightly golden, about 35 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven and allow to cool completely, at least 6 hours.

After the cooling process is complete, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, slice the loaves thinly on a bias to form individual cookies. Arrange the biscotti, closely spaced, on the baking sheets.

Bake the biscotti until firm and dry, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove biscotti from oven and allow to cool. Yields 4 dozen.

 

 

 

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)