Virtual Harvest Tour and ‘Cook-Along’ with Nancy Silverton.

Pandemic has certainly changed the way we are learning things. I mean, err, I could never imagine walking through pistachio farms without actually visiting the place. Moreover, getting US visa is such a pain, specially the interview at the embassy, worse than interrogation at the police station.(if you are single, there are some silly questions asked) then travelling for more than 18 hours to reach the place, Anyways, long story short, this virtual tour seems much more adaptable.

So here I was, literally transported to Los Angeles via Zoom and sailed through 40 acres of Bledsoc farms watching the pistachio harvest, wash-dry process, packing and deliveries. The care was taken during collecting the pistachio, and those that fell in the mud were not picked up. The pistachios looked full and fresh, most of them smiled through gaps (I wonder how they taste? because many times, I get pistachios that taste awful, soft and rubbery, from having travelled for many days) 

Pistachios are packed with proteins, antioxidants and fibre. They are low in calories and good for blood sugar balance. They offer several health benefits, especially for the heart, gut and waistline. I mainly pop just few, a small mouthful, too lazy to break open the shells( specially the ones that needs a crusher). I have used pistachio in making dips, or in Indian sweets, kheer or falooda, and love that green Pista Mithai from Pune. But I have never used pistachio in cooking.

So watching Nancy Silverton cook cauliflower with pistachio paste was new concept for me. The surprising thing was that she took whole cauliflower with its stem intact in the large pot containing salty water and boiled it. The cauliflower will float, and the leaves will stick out of the water. Cooked for about 7 minutes. Using tongs, flipped the cauliflower so the leaves were submerged and cook for another 3 minutes. (In India, we never do that, we have to track down the worms hiding within florets, we would break apart the cauliflower and then set to cook) but that was not advisable in Nancy Silverton’s cooking. She said it would not taste the same.

I learnt an interesting recipe of cauliflower called Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Pistachio Crumble and Green Onion Crème Fraiche 

After boiling the cauliflower in salty water, she brought to her working table , allowed it to cool to room temperature, wiped it dry and added olive oil to every crevice of the florets and sprinkled kosher salt. 

Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 374°F (190°C). 

Pistachio Paste was prepared  

In a small sauce pot, combine 1/4cup olive oil, ¼ cup pistachios, 3 garlic clove, smashed, and lemon zest, peeled with peeler and cook over medium heat until the garlic is light golden brown, and the nuts are toasted. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. 

In a food processor, add the mixture, 2tbsp fresh oregano, 1tsp thyme and ½ tsp salt. Pulse the mixture until the lemon zest is broken down and the nuts are chopped. Mixture will be like a chunky paste. 

Green Onion Crème Fraiche: 

1⁄2 cup / 120 g crème fraiche
1⁄4 cup / 30 g scallions, minced
1⁄4 cup / 30 g shallots, minced
1 garlic, grated with Microplane® 2 tsp / 6 g kosher salt
1⁄2 lemon, juiced 

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, combine and set aside. 

Pistachio Topping preparation 

3 tbsp / 20 g extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp / 3 g flaky sea salt, such as Maldon sea salt 3 tbsp / 20 g pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp /3 g Micro Cilantro 

Assembly: 

Spread the pistachio paste evenly over the cauliflower. Place into the oven and roast for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and some spots have a slight char. 

Place on a plate or wooden board. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle flaky sea salt, chopped pistachios and Micro Cilantro. 

Serve with a side of the Green Onion Crème Fraiche. 

To taste, we have to make it ourselves, but I am sure it will taste awsome.

But that was not all...

There was also Pistachio Macaroon Tart 

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 347 °F (175 °C). 

In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt and pistachios. Run the processor until the pistachios are ground up. Add the butter and pulse on and off until the dough comes together. Keep it in fridge for an hour

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 13 3⁄4 inch x 4 1⁄3 inch (35 cm x 11 cm) rectangle, 1⁄4 inch (6.5 mm) thick. In a 13 3⁄4 inch x 4 1⁄3 inch (35cm x 11 cm) tart pan, place the dough and press along the edges to form the dough to the pan. 

Bake until lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool.

Pistachio Topping: 

Put ¼ cup sugar, 1tbsp honey, 1tsp orange blossom water, 15gms egg white, 1tsp vanilla, 1’4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4tsp salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula to thoroughly combine. Add ½ cup pistachios and stir to coat the nuts in the syrup. 

Macaroon Filling: 

In the bowl of a food processor, grind 100gms nuts with ½ cup sugar, until it is a fine meal consistency. Add the ½ cup flour, remaining 1cup sugar, and pulse to combine. Pour in 2 egg whites and process until it is a smooth paste. Add  1 egg whites and pulse on and off until completely combined. Transfer the nut mixture into a large bowl. 

In a small saucepan, over medium high heat, begin to melt the 128gms of unsalted butter. Using a small paring knife, split the ½ vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of the knife. Add the scrapped seeds and the bean to the butter. After a few minutes the butter will begin to foam and darken. Swirl the pan to promote even browning taking care it does not burn. Continue to cook about 5-7 more minutes until the bubbles subside and the liquid is dark brown with a nutty and toasty aroma. Remove the vanilla bean. 

Slowly pour the brown butter into the nut mixture, whisking continuously. 

Pour the mixture into the tart pan over the dough. Bake for 8 minutes. 

Remove the tart pan from the oven and quickly distribute the nut topping on top. Return the tart back to the oven and finish baking for about 15-20 minutes until the nut topping is golden brown, rotating the tart halfway to ensure even browning. Remove the tart form the oven and set it aside to cool to room temperature.

To serve, pour the remaining powdered sugar for dusting into a fine mesh sieve and tap the sieve over the tart to dust it lightly. Gently push the removable bottom to lift the tart out. Using a long offset spatula, gently slide the tart from the metal bottom onto a long platter or wooden board. 

The minus point of having this cook along session is that to get the real taste, we have to cook it in your own home and not sure if it will taste the same.

But chalo, we did learn something new…. If you are making, please invite me..especially..since you learnt it after reading on my blog…I will wait till then… :)