Splendid Spread Made from Sicilian Pistachios and Olive Oil
A little taste of culinary heaven to have on hand at home
For years now, this has been one of my favorite foods in the ZCoB! I had a little taste the other day … which reminded me that it’s always a fine time to write about fabulous food. And if you’re looking for a small gift for Father’s Day, for a friend who’s struggling, or for a nut-loving staff member who’s doing a good job, this is a great choice.
Pick up a jar of this stellar pistachio and extra virgin olive oil spread from Central Italy to brighten your day, put a culinarily inspired smile on your face, and leave some lovely flavors on your tongue. It’s made by the small artisan firm of Colle del Gusto (“hills of flavor”) in the tiny town of Fara di Sabina, in Lazio, smack in the center of Italy. We get it thanks to the wonderful work of Rolando Beramendi, author of the highly recommended Autentico and the man behind Manicaretti Imports, one of our longest-standing suppliers.
Like many of the best things that enter our lives, Pistacchiosa showed up in Rolando’s world by total coincidence. Here’s how Rolando tells the story:
You know me well by now, and you know that I love “to get lost”! … This particular day I was walking aimlessly around Rome … I saw some nice jars with “nutty” spreads or syrups or whatever you might want to call them, which they would swirl on your gelato. I saw the Pistacchiosa right away and bought one.
After I tasted it, I was blown away! … The Pistacchiosa is truly unique in the sense that it has such a right-on and clean pistachio flavor … all because, I believe, of the quality of the extra virgin olive oil Antonio and Anna Maria della Corte use in it, from their own production on the Sabine Hills just north of Rome.
The Pistacchiosa is made from Sicilian Bronte pistachios (some of the best in the world), Anna Maria’s extra virgin olive oil, and a small bit of sugar. It has just the right balance—nutty, savory, sweet, super rich but still light—and you can use it on just about anything. Spread some on toasted Paesano bread, or Rustic Italian also makes a great pairing. Pistacchiosa is perfect on pasta, especially if you want to make something slightly sweet and also a touch savory at the same time. It’s also terrific with fish, chicken, or rice. You can use it as your sauce for a sweetish pizza, topped with ricotta cheese, and it’s also really good with the Mahjoub family’s sun-dried, organic Tunisian couscous that’s made right across the sea from where the Sicilian pistachios are grown. Conversely, you can flip the culinary coin and use Pistacchiosa with gelato, yogurt, or some of that amazing ricotta from Bellwether Farms in California. The latter combo—pistachio paste and ricotta—would make a great filling for cannoli or blintzes. The simple truth, though, is that I mostly just dip a spoon in the jar and eat it that way.
Perhaps my favorite thing of all to do right now with Pistacchiosa is to spoon some into the center of one of the Bakehouse’s Cultured Butter Croissants. The excellence of the Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter makes the croissant world-class. Adding some sensuous, subtly sweet Pistachiossa in the middle is … over the moon!
Pistacchiosa is available at the Candy Manufactory, the Deli, and Mail Order—I’d say buy two, one to keep and one to give as a gift!
P.S. I couldn’t resist sharing this old line from Stephen Colbert—timely now, of course, given his recent prominence in the news: “The pistachio: it’s just like our politics. When the two sides are divided, that’s when the nuts come out.”
