Slivered Pistachios

Asked by chefmike. Answered on 31st July 2013

Full question

Hello, my wonderful Goddess (and staff!). I've been searching far and wide here in the States and am utterly at a dead-end when trying to find the slivered pistachios Nigella has used in many recipes (most notably, as the finishing touch on the 1001 Nights Figs with Mascarpone). I can find pistachios in many forms here, but nothing like the bright green shards you used in that episode. I'll be coming to London for a week in early September (on my way to Italy) and wondered if you could provide some shopping ideas as to where I could purchase these whilst I'm in town. Cheers! Chef Mike

Our answer

Slivered or nibbed pistachio nuts are most commonly found in Middle Eastern or Indian food stores and you may be able to find them on-line in the US. If you are visiting London then it may be worth making a visit to Edgware Road (just north of Marble Arch) which has a good selection of Middle Eastern food stores and restaurants.

Ottolenghi also sells slivered pistachio nuts on-line and ships to the US as well as the UK. You can find the details on the Ottolenghi website. If you are in London then Ottolenghi has cafe/delis in Notting Hill, Islington, Belgravia and Kensington. However the stores vary in size and are mostly cafe space so we would suggest calling in advance if you are making a special trip. The contact details and addresses are also available on the Ottolenghi website.

If you can't get slivered pistachios then you can also roughtly chop shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts. If they have the skins still on then you can remove them by warming the pistachios in an oven preheated to 150c/300F for 3 to 4 minutes and then transferring the warm nuts in a clean, damp tea towel. Use the towel to rub the skins from the nuts.