I miss the days of huge cooking parties in a big kitchen. Back in Pittsburgh, we used to all chip in and drink and have a blast making meals together. With little kitchens here in NYC, it’s not always the easiest, so even though I’ve cooked with friends, it’s been limited to about two or three friends. Sometimes I get to play in large kitchens again, like the weekend before Thanksgiving, I went out to the Hamptons and cooked my annual Friendsgiving in a huge kitchen next to a fireplace and I felt back in my groove. Or like last week Momtrends invited us to My Cooking Party – a MASSIVE dream kitchen located in the heart of Chelsea hidden a few floors up – to try some new recipes using Pistachios. After an unsuspected elevator ride, you open up to this:
There is no better way to spend a Monday night- about twenty girlfriends, a professional chef and kitchen team, and wine. I felt like FINALLY, I was on my very own episode of Iron Chef. Not those new episodes, I’m talking about the ORIGINAL ones back in the 90s from Japan that were really badly dubbed over with American voices and they cooked the CRAZIEST food from secret ingredients. I used to come home from bartending, cook myself something to eat since I was starving at 3am and binge watch this show. I swear, it’s honestly how I learned to start looking at ingredients sitting around, and be able to create my own masterpieces.
So the secret ingredient tonight? Pistachios. And just like the Iron Chef, we created appetizers and sides, a main dish and dessert, only the challenge wasn’t to win for the best dish, it was to somehow all be able to cook together and make one amazing meal to sit down to. Could we do it? Challenge accepted.
Somehow we all pulled together and created one of the best meals I’ve ever tasted. No, seriously. You’ll want to bookmark this page for these incredible recipes that you can make at home. PS – make your life easier by picking up some DE-SHELLED Wonderful pistachios – the hard work has already be done for you!
Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Wonderful Pistachios, Goat Cheese and Pomegranate Glaze
Sweet roasted potato wedges get the holiday treatment with crunchy Wonderful Pistachios, tangy goat cheese and a lovely pomegranate glaze.
Prep: 20 minutes / Time to Table: 45 minutes / Serves: 8 (about 4-5 wedges/person)
4 large sweet potatoes, well-scrubbed and cut into 1” thick wedges
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
4 ounces goat cheese
½ cup shelled Wonderful Pistachios, chopped
2 tablespoons POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons honey
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.
- Toss potato wedges with olive oil, salt and pepper, mixing thoroughly. Transfer the wedges to the baking sheets making sure they spaced evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Stir wedges and rotate pans. Bake another 10 minutes until cooked through and caramelized. Remove from the oven.
- Combine the honey and the POM Wonderful pomegranate juice. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave and stir.
Arrange the sweet potatoes on a platter and scatter the Wonderful Pistachios and goat cheese over them. Drizzle the pomegranate glaze over all. Serve.
Turkey Roulade with Wonderful Pistachio Pesto
Pistachios, apples and onions are stuffed in this impressive, but easy main course. A nutty Wonderful Pistachio pesto is the perfect accompaniment.
Prep: 1 hour 15 minutes / Time to Table: 2 hours 30 minutes / Serves: 6 to 8
Wonderful Pistachio Pesto:
1½ cups baby spinach (about 2½ ounces)
1 cup shelled Wonderful Pistachios
2 large cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup olive oil
Turkey Roulade:
½ cup dried cranberries
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, diced into ¼-inch pieces (about 1½ cups)
1 granny smith apple, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1 2/3 cups)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 teaspoons fresh thyme
5 teaspoons fresh rosemary
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
3 ounces day- old french bread, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces (about 1¾ cups)
¾ cup shelled Wonderful Pistachios, toasted, and roughly chopped
1 skinless, boneless, turkey breast half, butterflied (about 2½ lbs)
3 small red onions, cut into wedges
- To make the pesto, place spinach, pistachios, garlic, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Slowly pour in oil, while machine is running, about 20 seconds. Pulse to completely combine. Set aside in the refrigerator, up to one day ahead.
- To make turkey roulade, position oven rack in the center and heat oven to 375°F. Place cranberries in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 5 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet on medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 to 7 minutes until softened. Add apple; continue to cook, 5 to 7 minutes, until onion and apples are golden. Add ½ cup chicken broth, thyme, rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoons pepper, and simmer. Stirring occasionally and scraping up any bits that stick to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes, until broth is absorbed and apples are softened. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add bread and cranberries to apples and stir to combine. Pour in ⅓ cup chicken broth and stir to combine. Add additional 2 tablespoons chicken broth, as needed, until bread is moist, but not wet. Stir in pistachios and set aside to cool.
- Place turkey between sheets of plastic wrap, and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin, to about ½-inch thick. Season each side with remaining ¼ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoons pepper. Place turkey, skinned side down on working surface. Spread stuffing over turkey leaving a border uncovered, about 1½-inches all around. Roll up and secure tightly with kitchen twine.
- Heat a roasting pan (or large skillet), with 2 tablespoons olive oil, on medium to medium-high heat. Brown turkey roulade on all sides, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside on a plate. Add wire rack to roasting pan and place turkey on rack. Combine onion wedges in a bowl with 1 tablespoons oil and place in roasting pan alongside turkey. Add ½ cup chicken broth to roasting pan and place in oven.
- Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until turkey temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from oven, transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil. Allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes, until juices have had time to absorb, before cutting into 6 to 8 slices.
- Meanwhile, add remaining chicken broth (about ½ cup) to roasting pan, and scrape up any bits with a wooden spoon. Serve pan drippings alongside turkey with pistachio pesto.
Wonderful Pistachio Holiday Palettes
A chic version of chocolate bark! The french call these little treats Palettes and they are simply fine chocolate with artfully arranged nuts and fruit. Stick to Wonderful Pistachios and add some holiday sprinkles to make them your own.
Prep: 10 minutes / Time to Table: 1 hour / Makes: 12 palettes (6 semi-sweet, 6 white chocolate)
¾ cup good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chocolate bar
¾ cup good quality white chocolate chips
¼ cup shelled Wonderful Pistachios Roasted & Salted
Dried fruit such as apricots, ginger, blueberries, bananas, plums, peaches, cranberries and cherries
Sprinkles and silver dragees
- Melt chocolates in separate bowls. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Spoon 1 tablespoon chocolate onto baking sheet for each palette. Chocolate will settle into a circle.
- Decorate each palette with Wonderful Pistachios, dried fruit and sprinkles, cutting fruit into slivers or pieces as needed. Chill palettes for 30 minutes. If packaging, package while cold. Serve.
This post was sponsored by Momtrends and Wonderful Pistachios. Thanks for supporting Football Food and Motherhood.
