roasted asparagus with pistachio nut purée
April 24, 2014 § 76 Comments
This is a seriously delicious light dinner. The recipe comes from a local Seattle cook Michael Natkin. He has a wonderful cookbook called Herbivoracious and a blog full of unique vegetarian recipes. Here we have a pistachio nut puree although as he puts it “puree isn’t quite the right word. It is more like a nut-based hummus; rich, creamy, slightly fluffy, but packed full of the flavor of roasted nuts.”
I n g r e d i e n t s
- 1 cup unsalted, roasted pistachios
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup water, or a little more as needed
- 1 pound fat asparagus spears, trimmed
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- good quality balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup unsalted, roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
- flaky salt
- fresh chives
Combine the pistachos, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, smoked paprika, and half of the olive oil in the blender. With the lid on and the blender running on medium low speed, drizzle in the remaining oil and then the water, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Blend until color lightens and fairly smooth but not completely textureless. You may need to add a little more water.
Taste and adjust seasoning; it will likely need more salt and possibly more lemon juice or spices, but don’t overpower the pistachio flavor. Reserve, with plastic wrap on the surface to prevent oxidation.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the asparagus with a bit of olive oil and sea salt. Roast on a baking sheet until tender, about 10 minutes. Turn on broiler and cook until blackened in spots. To serve, spoon the pistachio puree on a plate and place the asparagus on top. Garnish with the balsamic vinegar, chopped pistachios, flaky salt and snipped chives.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
Wow, this could also be great just like a pesto “sauce” for pasta… love pistachios!
I think so too Sally. This was so wonderful and I expected it to be rich. Not at all. Sort of a nut butter, yet savory and not so thick.
That is such a great idea!
Love the pistachio nut purée!
It’s wonderful Elaine! Worth every expensive penny the pistachio’s cost.
I think so!
You had me at asparagus but adding pistachios, oh my, sounds absolutely delightful!!! :)
Thank you Joanne. It was fabulous. Pistachio’s really make a wonderful nut butter. Yet this was creamy, a little crunchy and a delightful dip for many other foods I can imagine besides asparagus.
Looks and sounds lovely! I bet the tangy balsamic and nutty puree are great complements to the asparagus. Yum! We are on the same wavelength again – I have an asparagus dish up today too :)
Funny you should mention it because at first I had a few bites without the balsamic. Then after my first balsamic bite I was delighted! It really was wonderful together. Loved your asparagus post! Looks delicious.
Looks tasty! I was just saying last night that I need a new creative way to prepare asparagus. This is it.
Oh good! Hope you get a chance to try it. It really is a wonderful combination. I think the recipe originated at a very fine restaurant here in Seattle!
Wow, I cannot wait to get back into a kitchen to try this one! I just brought a very similar asparagus side dish for Easter dinner w/ the husband’s side of the family, and they LOVED it –
http://hearthomemade.com/2013/06/18/grilled-asparagus-plate-cilantro-pepita-pesto/
Pistachios sounds like a fantastic base for the “puree,” and I’ve never thought to broil the asparagus to get it nice and blackened. Thanks for sharing this one!
Hello! :) I looked at your recipe and I can see why your husband’s family loved it! Fantastic! I want to try the pepita pesto with asparagus. Sounds amazing. Hope you make the puree too. It’s something special for sure.
Such a clever idea, I bet you can use that puree so many different ways. Love asparagus and this is such a great way to prepare them.
I thought it was very clever. There is an incredible restaurant here in Seattle who started making nut purees and serving them with vegetables of various sort. This was inspired by that idea. Great idea!
Oh this looks delicious!
Hi Sylvie! Thanks!
A tasty special green asparagus recipe,…very delicious looking!!Yum Yum yummmm. 😃
Thanks!
☺️☺️
Yum!
Looks wonderful!
Nice. Clever idea with the pistachios. Ken
Thank you Ken. Certainly enjoyed your pistachio pesto lasagne post. Just can’t get enough of your gorgeous blog. So inspiring and beautifully photographed.
Oh my. That’s it – I’m inviting myself around for dinner :-)
You are welcome…anytime!
Yummy!
:)
Now I know what to do with my big bag of pistachios. Great recipe.
Hi Connie. You are lucky to have a big bag of pistachios! I love them. Hope you try this nut puree, it is quite impressive. Thank you for stopping by and leaving me a comment. :)
Do you call this gourmet or what? Oh wow cottage :).
I think this qualifies for gourmet! It is something special, that’s for sure.
I knew it ;))).
That looks and sounds amazing! Truly!
Thank you….
I’ve never tried this pairing before but I like asapargus ans love pistachio so l will try this one out x
You’ll be very pleased with it Deena. Such a wonderful way to use pistachio’s. Not like anything I have had before. Very unique and delicious.
Goodness! Must try this! I bet it would be delicious bruschetta-style too.
I think you are on to something here. This would be wonderful on bruschetta. I think you would really like this Serena. The purée is wonderful.
Nutty hommus sounds good to me and that lot looks effing delicious. Nice!
Thanks! :)
The nutty pistachio hummus sounds so creamy, earthy and satisfying. I could definitely enjoy this meal with a few slices of olive farm bread. MMMMM, good stuff! I can’t wait to try it.
Olive farm bread! Yes…that sounds like a wonderful combination. Actually I stood over this bowl of purée with a spoon and couldn’t stop. It’s so delicious even without anything to dip other than a spoon.
A spoon sounds like all that is needed, then. :-)
So lovely and fresh! Love the texture of the nuts here.
Hi Lisa. This was such an enjoyable purée. You are right, the texture was fabulous. It is almost hard to call it a purée because it also resembled both a pesto and hummus in consistency. Thank you for your kind comment. Always nice to see you here. :)
I love the idea of the pistachio puree. Thanks for the recipe!
You are very welcome. I hope you get to put the idea into motion and make some! :) It truly is delightful and could be served with so many other things rather than asparagus. Thank you!
What an interesting combination. I’m a sucker for pistachios. Now, if only the asparagus will come on… (we’re running a bit behind here this spring).
You haven’t had asparagus yet eh? Hmmm. Well, I read the other day that Washington State (where I live) is the top producer of asparagus in the world. Interesting. Close to 200 asparagus farms and approximately 53 million pounds is produced each year. Impressive. And speaking of impressive…this pistachio purée is delightful. Hope you give in and blend some up. Even without asparagus this would be lovely with another vegetable. It’s always great to hear from you Michelle! :)
This is heaven – I would happy eat roasted asparagus at every meal :)
Oh! Another asparagus lover! We really like it too, especially roasted or grilled. The pistachio nut purée was a nice accompaniment.
Loving how veggies are taking center stage more and more. This looks healthy and hearty in a strangely light way. Like you could eat a good-size portion and still go in for that bowl of ice cream after the meal :-) So lovely.
You are right Liz. Seriously, I could not stop eating the purée, even when I had my fill of asparagus I kept spooning it off the plate and eating it! The balsamic was really good here. Thank you!
You really had one of the best ideas ever…. I don’t have so much fantasy with asparagus, so thanks for sharing!
The flavor of asparagus can be overwhelming and I don’t think too much about buying it too often. This pistachio nut purée would be very delicious with other vegetables or breads too. Thank you for stopping in. I really enjoyed your tahini buns post. Lovely.
I love it that you go from mac and cheese to pistachio puree/hummus, which sounds incredible yet relatively simple to make. It is going on my to-make list!
Ha! Maybe I should try to make a smoother transition between my blog posts! The pistachio purée is remarkable Saucy. I think you would love it. And I think there are so many possibilities as to what to pair with it. I’ll be making it again for sure. :)
I’m probably trying the pistachio hummus mid-week, will let you know how I go! :-)
Yum, yum! Asparagus with pistachios is a new one for me, and sounds incredible. MIL sent packages of pistachios, so this will be made, promise! :-)
Hi Angie! Lucky…what a nice gift from your MIL. You would be very impressed with this pistachio purée. I saw the recipe and made it that day. I’ll be making it again but next time try something other than asparagus. Nice to see you here, must go check out your FF and see who’s there. :) Hope you getting some garden time in. Finally some sun for us this weekend!
Looks so good with pistachio puree :) Great idea to eat more Asparagus!
Thank you! It is a great way to enjoy asparagus. The purée is delicious and if you get an opportunity blend some up…you’ll love it. Thank you.
Oh yum… and that hit of balsamic for a little tartness as well… sounds fabulous!
That’s it! You are right. The balsamic tartness was really nice here. I love pistachio’s and this was spot on with nutty flavor and a wonderful hummus like texture. Yum. :) Thank you for visiting!
This recipe looks and sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Hi there! I really enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks to Lisa for steering me your way. Nice of you to stop by, thank you! :)
That’s so nice of you to say – thank you! Look forward to reading more of your posts.
Such a beautiful and novel way to serve asparagus. It’s not in season here yet but when it is – I love making a meal out of it – normally with hollandaise sauce but this would make a wonderful change. Lovely photograph and I’m envious of your cookbook collection….
I love hollandaise sauce. I have never been too successful at making a good hollandaise. We did make a meal out of this dish Lindy. Pistachio nut “hummus” was so unique and wonderful. Next time I make it I’ll use other types of vegetables as well. I can imagine an array of grilled vegetables and a big bowl of nutty pistachio purée. Yum.
What a great way to make something simple and elevate it with other simple and natural ingredients. Smoked paprika is my absolute favorite.
Oh gosh! smoked paprika, cumin and pistachios– love all those flavors and add in the asparagus. it does sound so delicious!
Pistachio hummus…now that sounds fantastic, Seana!
I just about always roast asparagus these days. If they’re not on the stove top griddle, they’re on the barbecue. They’re just so much better roasted, aren’t they? Now, your pistachio hummus sounds fantastic and I just so happen to have plenty of pistachio nuts lying about. (Courtesy of the pistachio pesto post.) I’m sure that the combo of asparagus and pistachios is wonderful and I’ll be sure to give it a try. Local asparagus is just starting to make an appearance and new recipes are always welcome. Thanks for sharing this one.
I never, as in never ever, would have thought of using pistachio nuts to make a savory puree. Not sure why though, as I do make similar things for desserts! This dish sounds so, so delicious! Love everything about it, from that fat asparagus to the imagined flavour of the pistachio hummus. YUM! Thanks for sharing this, I cannot wait to try it out. I’d even use that pistachio nut puree as a dip for parties! x