Persian Feasts Recipe: Pistachio Soup

Try out this delicious Pistachio Soup – Soup-E Pesteh – recipe from the Persian Feasts cookbook.

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 1 – 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 6 – 8

In March 2017, our dear family friend and fashion designer Nazzy Beglari was looking forward to hosting Nahid Joon for a Nowruz (Persian New Year) dinner at her home in Abu Dhabi, but she was

anxious. Two years prior, Nazzy’s husband Peter called her from New York to report that the food he had just enjoyed at Nahid Joon’s was the most delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Being a vegan, Nazzy prepared the tastiest vegan Persian New Year feast.

This pistachio soup is one of Nazzy’s favorite recipes passed on from her Azeri grandmother. After tasting it, Nahid Joon immediately asked for the recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups (12 oz/350 g) unsalted, shelled raw pistachios
½ teaspoon ground saffron
1/3 cup (2¾ fl oz/80 ml) virgin olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 leeks, white and light greens parts only, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup (2¼ oz/60 g) finely chopped cilantro (coriander)
½ cup (1 oz/30 g) finely chopped parsley
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) orange juice
½ cup (4 fl oz/120 ml) lemon juice
½ cup (3 oz/85 g) Greek yogurt

For the garnish

4 tablespoons dried rose petals
4 tablespoons slivered pistachios
½ cup (3¾ oz/90 g) pomegranate seeds

Method

Put the raw pistachios in a food processor and pulse for 1–2 minutes, until finely ground. Slowly add 1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) of water and pulse until a fine paste forms. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, bloom the saffron in 4 tablespoons of hot water.

Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the ginger, ground coriander, chili powder, and turmeric and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the leeks, salt, and pepper and sauté for another 8 minutes, until the leeks are slightly golden. Add the pistachio paste and 6 cups (47 fl oz/1.4 L) of water. Stir, then bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour.

Stir in the cilantro (coriander) and parsley. Pour in the orange and lemon juice.

Working in batches if necessary, transfer the soup to a blender and puree for 3 minutes, until smooth and silky. Return the soup to the stockpot. If necessary, add water to thin it out. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the yogurt to the bloomed saffron water and whisk until combined. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and add 1–2 teaspoons of the saffron yogurt in a swirl. Garnish each bowl with rose petals, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds.