Tuesday 12 July 2011

Pistachio

The vowel sounds alone in this word invite ancient awe.

P(II)st(AH)ch(EE)(OH)!!!!!!

Ground to a powder and blended with saffron and sweetened milk, a natural blend of flavour whooshes liquid lucidity to Arabian heights upon being sipped. This nut has a legacy to make all others quiver in their shells! The Queen of Sheba, who considered them a powerful aphrodisiac is said to have ordered the entire Assyrian supply be kept for herself and her court alone. Hmmm...

However,  on a lovelier note ~ according to Persian legend, lovers met on moonlit nights in the hope of hearing the ripening nuts crack open – a promise of lasting love. Can you imagine the gentle and hopeful expectation? Ah, beautiful . . . . to this very day in Syria pistachios remain an important part of wedding feasts, and guests are often given a bag of them as a good will parting gift. This tradition brings to mind a classic song worth listening to, by the brilliant Byrds ~ Turn, turn, turn. 


I read an interesting article about the radical effect we have on one another yesterday, we are creatures of imitation and often we take away much more from a meeting or a passing moment with a friend/ stranger than we could ever know, though how we feel after is a clue to what was really exchanged. Our good encounters impart positivity for ALL. Smile and you'll be glad you did, it will relax all your major facial muscles and begins a chain reaction, good feelings are literally contagious. This is no more evident than when you consider foetuses are smiling from 17 weeks. Inside the womb the little dotes also respond to sound, especially oohs and ahhs!!! So all that coochy coo baby talk is in fact beneficial, even before birth and thus stimulates the pre-frontal cortex, those of you familiar with Nintendo's "Brain Train" will know exactly what this means - those of you who are not, the pre-frontal cortex ~


"is responsible for the executive functions, which include mediating conflicting thoughts, making choices between right and wrong or good and bad, predicting future events, and governing social control — such as suppressing emotional or sexual urges. The prefrontal cortexis the brain center most strongly implicated in qualities like sentience, human general intelligence, and personality."

I’m 29 weeks pregnant and this week my baby’s bones are apparently hardening with the help of calcium that I’m providing, 250mg to be precise, is being deposited into his skeleton each day.  In my first pregnancy I had a pang for all things milky and it makes sense to me that our bodies when in balance tell us what they need, we simply need to listen. And if coochy coo is the way forward, so be it!

Trust the Ancient:))
I’ve come up with a Coochy coo calcium and mineral rich drink! Great for all pregnant mothers and anyone who simply wants to feel good and sip something delicious. This is a cleansing drink and perfect for summer. Each sup is a walk along greener pastures for our taste buds and heralds happiness, meeting ancient past. In the Bible when Jacob finally sends his sons to Egypt for grain, he tells them to pack a gift of, “the best products of the land….a little balm, a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.” The Queen of Sheba could have learnt a thing or two from Jacob:)
I've not mentioned the joys of saffron which this tipple contains in abundance, instead I will save that for another time, suffice to say the opulent colour it releases holds a clue to its potent powers!

There is truth in longevity and things that stand the test of time. I find it comforting that this drink encapsulates more than immediate pleasure, it brings something implicit and necessary to us all, true nourishment ~ as always, share with someone you love!

Pistachio & Coochy Coo Drink

SERVES 2
Pistachio nuts, 50g
Sweet Freedom/ fruit sugar, 1 tbsp or to taste (we’re all different)
Milk, 400ml
Ice cubes, 8
Saffron, 7 strand
WIZZ pistachios in a blender for 30 seconds.
STEEP saffron strands in one tablespoon of boiling water for roughly 30 seconds and swirl to release flavour.
POUR in milk and saffron water into blender and wizz again for a minute, until mint green and frothy.
SERVE in chilled glasses with a scattering of pistachio nuts for timelessness.

10 comments:

  1. This drink sounds lovely indeed! Recipe bookmarked!

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  2. That's great to hear! Thank you Ruth. It truly is delicious, similar in flavour to the delicous Indian dessert Kulfi ~ if you like that you'll love this:))

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  3. So exotic and flavorful.. so good..

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  4. Pistachio kulfi is my favourite! My mum used to make me drink a version made with almonds. Nuts and milk, can't go wrong with that!

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  5. 29 weeks?! Must be a hefty lump by now. No ways of hiding. :) I hope everything's going well so far.

    I love pistachios, in just about everything. Sweet milk and saffron, I might just be happy to be a baby again.

    A little random thing about smile, do you know you use about 9 muscles to smile and about 3 times more muscles to frown.

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  6. Hi Nazneen, thank you for your comment. I love Pistachio Kulfi too, it's up there with my favourites. I will try this recipe with almonds. Thanks for the suggestion, I'm sure it will be lovely! Maybe with some orange zest and cinnamon for something different. All the best:)

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  7. Hello PFx! So smiling is 3 times more relaxing, well that is great to know!!! Thanks for that. I've been quoting your blog to many friends and am still fascinated by the "rat results." Thank you for your comments and lets keep smiling. A smile from London over to you. All the best :)

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  8. Yum Yum! What a unique and delightful recipe. I adore pistachios. Your blog is gorgeous.

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  9. Thank you Dara:) Glad you like this recipe. I'll be posting a variation of this on Friday. Pistachios are a favourite of mine too! All the best:)

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  10. OMG I love pistachio too! I can't wait to try this drink. It sounds delicious! I've got a cow's milk allergy so I'll try fortified soya milk or almond milk instead. That way, I'll still get the calcium. Thanks for a great post, good luck with the pregnancy and keep smiling xx

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