Pistachio pesto from Sicily

Pistachio Pesto from Sicily. The savory counterpart to the sweet pistachio.

Pistachio pesto from Sicily by Antica Bottega Siciliana is a savory seasoning pesto with 70 percent pistachio content, made for pasta, crostini, and risotto. Not a sweet cream, not a breakfast spread, not a basil pesto with a few nuts.

Pistachio pesto from Sicily is a savory seasoning pesto from Antica Bottega Siciliana, in which seven out of ten grams are pure Sicilian pistachios. Most people know pistachios mainly as sweet: in ice cream, as a filling in pastries, as a cream on croissants. Sicily knows the other side. There, for generations, pistachios have been used in pasta sauces, over grilled fish, and on toasted bread. On the island's menus, pasta al pistacchio is as common as carbonara elsewhere. Exactly this salty, roasted side is in this jar. A spoon of it smells warm and nutty, tastes dense and buttery. And it completely turns expectations for this nut upside down.

Pure roasted pistachio, without garlic and herbs

This pesto tastes intensely of roasted pistachio: buttery-nutty, mildly salted, supported by the quiet natural sweetness of the nut. The scent upon first opening is reminiscent of freshly roasted kernels, warm and a hint of caramel. In the jar, it shows a muted olive to deep green, interspersed with the fine grain of ground pistachios.

The consistency is between nut butter and classic pesto: dense, velvety, slightly oily. On the tongue, the roasted aroma unfolds first, then a creamy richness with a long finish. The salt is sparingly used and works only as an enhancer. The character of the pistachio remains unadulterated in the foreground, without bitter notes, without dominant oil. Gently warmed on hot pasta, the aroma opens up even more distinctly. The most honest test is a piece of white bread: spread thinly, it reveals the full depth of roast. Those who have the taste of pistachio ice cream in mind will recognize the kinship, but framed salty instead of sweet.

If you expect the herbaceous spice of a basil pesto with garlic and pecorino, you will search in vain here. This recipe deliberately dispenses with both and relies solely on the nut. It is also not a light summer pesto: the high nut content makes every portion rich and satisfying. But it also carries a dish all by itself, without cheese, without further seasoning.

A spoon of pistachio pesto transforms pasta, risotto, and crostini

Two heaped tablespoons of this pesto are enough for 200 grams of pasta; a creamy sauce doesn't require more. Stir it in a bowl with four tablespoons of hot pasta water. The starch in the water binds the oil into a silky emulsion, without any cream. Then fold in the pasta, Sicilian style short varieties like Casarecce or Rigatoni. A spoon of ricotta and some lemon zest turn it into a main course in ten minutes. Expect three to four servings per jar, because this pesto is a seasoning, not a main ingredient.

It gets a little more festive with shrimp: briefly fried in olive oil, placed on the pistachio pasta, lemon zest on top. On crostini, the pesto shines under torn burrata, sprinkled with chopped pistachios. In risotto, a teaspoon per plate, stirred in after cooking, is enough. Grilled swordfish or salmon gets a Sicilian crust with a pesto-breadcrumb layer. Gnocchi and filled tortellini also gratefully accept the nut cream. A dry Sicilian white wine, such as a Grillo, effortlessly accompanies such dishes. Stirred smooth with yogurt and lemon juice, it makes a dip for grissini and vegetable sticks. If you want to add red tones, combine it at aperitivo with an almond-tomato pesto from Trapani.

Good to know: Always stir the pesto in away from the heat. It is not suitable for gratinating or searing, as roasted aromas dissipate and the oil separates. Gently warmed, both are preserved. If oil settles in the jar, a quick stir is sufficient. Also, salt the pasta water sparingly, the pesto already contains salt.

Curated from Trapani, grown on lava soil

Behind this pesto is not a factory, but a curator. Salvatore Novara from Trapani comes from a family with five generations of agriculture. After years in northern France and Rome, he returned to Sicily to bring together the products of small island producers under one roof. His declared goal: to bring the best products of Sicily to all of Europe. His Antica Bottega Siciliana works according to traditional peasant recipes and in small batches, deliberately outside of industrial logic. Trapani is in the west of the island, the pistachio grows in the east. The Bottega sees itself as a showcase for all of Sicily.

How deeply the pistachio is rooted in island culture is revealed by the language itself. In the Sicilian dialect, it is called frastuca, derived from the Arabic fustuq. The Arabs brought the tree to the island over a thousand years ago. Around Etna, special rules have applied ever since: harvesting traditionally takes place only every two years, by hand, in late summer. Some trees stand on terraces of lava rock, where harvesting machines simply fail. In the intermediate year, farmers also remove the flower buds so that the tree can gather strength. The aromas concentrate, the yields remain small. This scarcity explains why Sicilian pistachios are among the most expensive in the world. Their intense green is due to the high chlorophyll content, which the mineral-rich lava soil promotes.

For the pesto, whole kernels are finely crushed and simply mixed with oil and a pinch of salt. A 70 percent pistachio content is a statement: many pestos of this type are content with 50 to 60 percent. You taste the difference from the first spoon, as more nut and less carrier.

Not to be confused with sweet pistachio cream

Antica Bottega Siciliana offers two pistachio jars, and the distinction is worthwhile. The sweet pistachio cream belongs on croissants, in pastries, and on breakfast rolls. The pistachio pesto is its savory counterpart: salted instead of sweetened, intended for pasta instead of patisserie. The cream contains a good third of pistachios, the pesto twice as much nut. If you are looking for a sweet spread, choose the cream. If you want to cook, choose this jar.

As a gift, the small jar works alone or in a duet. Together with a packet of good pasta, it becomes a complete dinner as a present. At aperitivo with guests, a plate of green crostini is usually emptied faster than any olive dish. For guests who don't eat meat, pistachio pasta stands on par as a main course. A souvenir that doesn't disappear into the pantry, but is opened the same evening.

Once stirred into steaming pasta, this pesto shows why Sicily has never left its pistachios solely to dessert.