Saffron and Lemon Toasted Pistachios

During the two weeks of Nowruz holidays and the beginning of the Iranian new year with the spring equinox, it’s customary to leave on tables plates of sweets and a big bowl of ajil—salted pistachios, almonds, cashews, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and hazelnuts—for friends and family who call on you for new year greetings.

It often happens, however, that stretched on a sofa, watching too much holiday TV, you’d find yourself in front of that big bowl of ajil, munching the hours away on salty, sour, scrumptious, and irresistible pistachios, almonds, and cashews—leaving the bowl half full only with the dried chickpeas and pumpkin seeds.

Since this was too familiar a scenario at our home, my mom would implement a strategy to save both my waistline and her wallet: she’d store all the sweets and ajil in plastic boxes and hide them in the most unlikely places. This meant that when she’d go out during the Nowruz holidays—often to some great-aunt’s house—I’d start my treasure hunt. Never in the pantry or kitchen cabinets, because that would’ve been too obvious, but more likely among my mom’s shoeboxes, on top of her wardrobes behind heavy sweaters, deep in her chest of drawers concealed by hair sprays and jewelry boxes, or between stacks of sheets and duvets. And once I did find them, it was hard to not keep raiding them whenever I had the chance—so my mom would find her strategically hidden boxes of ajil half empty nonetheless. She would say “we have a little mouse in the house” when her exasperation eventually waned.

What makes these nuts irresistible is the sourness of lemon and a scent of saffron, in addition to the salt. They’re very easy to prepare, and they make a perfect match for aperitivo drinks, such as a spritz or negroni. 

This recipe was excerpted from 'Pomegranates and Artichokes' by Saghar Setareh. Buy the full book on Amazon.