When I'm with friends in an ethnic store where they are deeply familiar with a culture, and they ooh and ahh over something and snatch it up, I do too. This was the case when I visited Jasmine Market a couple weeks ago with friends, and out I came bearing a box of "Fard's Persian Pistachio Nougat". I didn't try any until yesterday, when Dad and I had a couple for a spring-time treat after lunch. Wow, these seemed to be a cross between divinity and salt water taffy with a hint of rose flavor and crunchy pistachios. These were perfect with tea. I have it on good authority, actually from my good friend Mike at Welcome to a World Where Chefs Run Free, that this confection is called "Gaz" in Persian.
If you would like to try some Persian Pistachio Nougat, look for the box above, or you can try this recipe. I'm also posting about Pistachios in support of the many growers who have been caught up in the recent pistachio issue. It's a known fact in the industry that every plant handling raw pistacios has samonella. It's never been an issue because pistachios are roasted, which is the kill step rendering the nuts safe to eat. The issue is that some raw nuts got mixed in with the roasted, which contaminated it all. So if you are eating something that has been cooked (like this nougat), or you re-roast your nuts, that should take care of the issue. These are very healthy nuts, so it is a shame to see ones that are perfectly fine go to waste.
1 comment:
Anna, thanks for supporting the nut growers - we did, too, this week when My Beloved was down in the Fresno area for business he stopped by Valley Pistacio and bought a boatload of their lovely produce.
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