Pistachio Soup

Saffron brings depth to the pistachios but it’s the citrus that creates magic.

I got this recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s book Jerusalem. We can thank the Iranian Jewish community for this green treat!

There are elephants in the room. Let’s get them out of the way now because my kitchen isn’t big enough to have them here for long.

Yes, this is a high calorie high fat soup. The good news is the calorie count comes from the healthy fat of pistachios. There are far worse things you can eat so don’t be shy. If you’re serving this soup to guests, make sure you use small portions or they’ll be full before they make it to the next course.

The other elephants are the expensive ingredients in the soup. Read the notes at the bottom for shopping tips.

Ingredients
2 Tbl boiling water
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1 and 2/3 cups of raw unsalted shelled pistachios
2 Tbl butter
4 shallots
1 ounce of ginger
1 leek
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Better than Chicken Bouillon
3 cups water
1/3 c of orange juice (have 2 oranges on hand)
1 Tbl lemon juice (1 lemon on hand)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
sour cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Pour boiling water (2 Tbl) over the saffron threads in a small cup and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

Spread the pistachios in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for about 8 minutes. They’re done when they get a little color. I don’t recommend using the nose test. Pistachios are mild so you might not smell them until it’s too late. You should be able to smell them when you open the oven.

Melt the butter in a 3 quart sauce pan. Cut the ends off of the shallots and peel off the outer layer. Thinly slice them and put them in the pot. It’s hard to give a precise heat, but the pan should make the faintest of noised when ingredients are added.

You have two options of attack for the ginger. Remove the skin if its tough. It’s easy to do by using the edge of a spoon. You can mince it finely or grate it on the small holes of a cheese grater. I only grate it if I’m using the grater for something else during the same cooking spree. Otherwise, it’s just another dirty dish. Put the ginger in the pot.

Cut the roots off of the leek and slice it thin. When you hit the tough leaves, peel off the outer leaves and keep slicing. Add it to the pot. Add salt and pepper. Saute until the ingredients are soft.

Add the saffron water, regular water, and Better than Chicken Bouillon to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid , lower the heat and let the soup simmer for 20 mintues.

Reserve 1 Tbl of the pistachios and put the rest of them in the pot. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender. Taste it now because I want you to see this magic. Add the orange and lemon juice. Stir and taste. Adjust the salt and citrus. Heat it to desired temperature

Serve in bowls. Top the soup with sour cream and pistachios.

Notes
Ottolenghi includes a step for removing the pistachio skins. He said removing the skins will only make the soup a brighter green. I’ve never taken the time to do it. But know you’ll have a prettier soup if you do. To remove the skins, blanch the nuts in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and while still hot, remove the skins. Not all of the skin will come off. Proceed to roasting the nuts.

Pistachios are an expensive nut. Ethnic groceries (the real kind with narrow aisles and treats packed everywhere) often have good pricing on them. Trader Joe’s is probably your next best bet. Also if you’re new to ethnic groceries, wander the aisle and buy anything and everything that catches your eye. You can figure out how to use the ingredients later.

It’s true that saffron is expensive, but you only need 1/4 tsp. I’m aware that you most likely will have to buy a bigger quantity than that. Just treat it as a luxury item; one that should be used and enjoyed. If you hoard the saffron for “special occasions”, it will likely sit on your shelf unused for years. Please don’t use cheap saffron — it is not real. Hint: Saffron makes a great gift for your cooking friends.

It can be tricky to measure juice of citrus because they have different acidity, sweetness, and strength of flavor. Start with the measured amounts. Remember you can always add more.