Pistachio nan khatai—a desi shortbread

Pistachios are native to Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan and the first archaeological record of their consumption dates to 6760 B.C. in what is present day Jordan. They were brought to Italy from Syria during the reign of Tiberius in the first century. The English word pistachio derives from the Latin pistacium which has its roots in the Persian word for the nut.

While Iran leads international pistachio production, the United States is a close second. Until the 1970s, most pistachios consumed in the U S were imported from Iran. After relations between the two countries deteriorated starting in the 1970s, Americans started growing these nuts on plantations in California.

Pistachios are often eaten whole— salted or roasted— and are a popular flavouring in sweets such as ice cream, cookies and puddings. They are even more common in confections from South Asia and the Middle East including baklava and burfi among many others.  These nuts are traditionally used to make mortadella , an Italian pork sausage flavoured with spices, nuts and herbs. They are also widely used in savoury dishes from India, Iran and North Africa.

Research shows that pistachios increase HDL (good) cholesterol without significantly decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol.

This recipe is a type of nan khatai, a desi shortbread cookie that originated in the Gujarati port city of Surat.

Makes 24 cookies Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature 3/4 cups white granulated sugar 1 egg 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/3 cup semolina/sooji 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped 1-2 tablespoons milk pistachios, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.  Grease or line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour, semolina, baking powder, cardamom, nutmeg and chopped pistachios. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add egg and mix well.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. It may take a few minutes to incorporate all the flour. Add milk to soften the dough.

5. To form cookies, roll 2 tablespoons of dough between the palms of your hands to form a circular disk (thicker in the middle than at the edges). Place on a baking sheet and flatten slightly.

6. To decorate, gently press a pistachio into the centre of each cookie.

7. Bake for 20-22 minutes until you see a hint of colour. Do not bake until golden brown. Remove immediately to a wire rack to prevent further baking. Once cool, cookies should break easily but not be crumbly. If the cookies are crisp, they have been over-baked.