Pistachios Are The Magic Ingredient That Adds A Touch Of Sweetness To Pesto

Pistachios are some of the most prized nuts in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Italian cooking, often coming from beautifully twisted trees lining ancient groves. And while pine nuts are more common than pistachios in iconic Italian pesto sauces, it's not an exclusive pairing. In fact, crushed pistachios are the magic ingredient for adding an extra touch of sweetness to homemade pesto. 

Fortunately, replacing pine nuts with pistachios is an easy swap, considering similar texture and characteristics. Both are nutrient-dense nuts with their own individual assets, though pistachios bring some extra antioxidants to the pesto party. As far as taste goes, pistachios bring more flavor intensity for a slightly bolder impact, and the inherent sweetness and creaminess in the nuts helps temper the prominent herby tones of fresh basil, the defining ingredient in pesto sauce.  

Marketplace pesto sauces tend to use pine nuts or cashews, so you'll likely be making a pistachio-based one yourself. About 60 basil varieties exist, and most pair well with pistachios. However, to enhance pistachios' sweetness even more, while nodding to Italian heritage, choose the sweet basil variety, also known as Genovese basil. It's a common herb in Mediterranean cooking, including many Italian dishes. The most efficient way to create a luscious, fragrant pesto with pistachios is by using a food processor, pulsing together some pistachios, basil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, followed by a good glug of fresh extra-virgin olive oil.   

Many chefs know pesto sauce as an accompaniment to pasta dishes, and rightfully so. It takes center stage when paired with pesto partners such as long, thin capellini and spaghetti, flat fettuccine pasta, and curly corkscrew versions such as fusilli and gemelli, which cradle the sauce in their twists and turns. That makes it especially suited to pistachio pesto, as you'll want savor even more of that deep pistachio flavor and aroma. 

Pasta is far from the only dish in which homemade pistachio pesto shines. Some of the best uses for pesto require thinking outside the pasta box. With an extra splash of olive oil, and some vinegar for pizazz, pesto makes an excellent salad dressing. Pistachio pesto will liven up bland mayo-based egg, tuna, and chicken salads, while topping off sandwiches and burgers with perfect slightly-crunchy contrast. You can also spread it between layers of lasagna, or drizzle it over roasts, poultry, and fish for a sweet, nutty finish.   

For lighter recipes, make a bright and fresh pesto sauce by eliminating or reducing the cheese, opting instead for lemon juice, lemon zest, and capers. You'll still need olive oil with most any pesto recipe, as it provides the necessary binder for the sauce. To lift the overall taste and density, you could go off-piste and step away from the extra-virgin option, instead choosing an extra light olive oil, which could also help highlight the rich pistachio flavor, allowing its nutty essence to shine.