1 karen mintzias
1 lb fresh, unsalted pistachios
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cup water
1 butter or oil
Directions
Peel and place pistachios on a baking sheet, the put in a slow
oven (250 F) to roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut
into quarters.
Meanwhile combine the sugar, honey, and water in a heavy pan, and
stir over medium heat until dissolved. Lower the heat and boil to the
very firm stage (250 to 256 degrees), toss in the pistachio nuts and
stir, then remove from the heat. Butter or oil a marble slab, jelly
roll, or any aluminum pan and quickly spread the candy using a
spatula or knife. Allow to cool, the cut into squares and store in
covered containers.
Author's note: A Greek pastry chef told me that glucose and honey are
usually used for this excellent treat.
From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles. Avenel
Books, New York.
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias
Servings: 50 servings
Pasteli Me Fistikia (Pistachio & Honey Candy) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Candy; Nut
The History of Recipes
We are able to trace the history of meal recipes far back into ancient history, at least as far back into history as the Egyptians, and maybe further still. However, generally, these ancient cookbooks were just very basic pictorial recipes for preparing food.
The truth of the matter is, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to academics are a few ancient tablets in Sumerian which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel exhilarated and blissful. As we move into Roman times 25BC a roman called Apicius created a collection of documents describing recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his publication, he recounts how the meals were divided into hors d`oeuvre, main course and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. This early Roman chef tells us how the cooks of his times made use of a wide range of spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs such as thyme, rue and asafoetida. As we move on, there were some recipe books from the 14th Century : a cookery book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, these are unconnected to the indian curry that is served today, but rather descriptions of the types of meals on the menues of the upper classes of those days. Later, in the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought us many foods, spices and herbs from Arab cuisine, including basil and rosemary. These new foods and spices caused a torrent in books on cookery, some of which still exist in academic collections. By the advent of the 20th century, cookery books are in great demand, due to higher levels of literacy, people having more leisure time and having more disposable income. The revolution that is television gave us TV cookery programs and the spin-off recipe books. And that brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everyone to search through thousands of recipes just like those on this recipe site. |
We hope you enjoy this Pasteli Me Fistikia (Pistachio & Honey Candy) recipe.
