One winter, while I was revisiting my fragrant fir leaf recipe, I received a gift of beautifully packaged pistachios. The pistachios were from Afghanistan and were small and perfect. The nut tree, Pistacia vera, is native to the Middle East, Asia Minor, and Central Asia and is a member of the mastic, sumac, and cashew family. Fir leaves scented the room. Organically grown at Windswept Farm in Vermont and sold in Brooklyn, our Christmas tree brings a taste of winter to our kitchen every year.
Soon, a new international cookie was born. Pistachio Fir Cookies combine the fresh holiday flavor of fir leaves with buttery green nuts. Here’s how to make it:
Photo by Marie Viljoen.
These soft pistachio fur cookies are a vibrant cousin of the well-known Pignoli cookies, which were the inspiration for my version. It’s completely different, with pistachios instead of pine nuts, but the marzipan base melts in gently and comfortably on the first sip. And there’s also the scent. Citrus notes of fir and orange peel. These green cookies are perfect for gifts and are a great snack. Just what you want after a long winter walk. Or when you’re watching bad news. Or to celebrate the beginning of long days and the arrival of spring.
I consider fir leaves (as well as spruce, pine, and hemlock leaves) to be a spice or fresh herb. These edible evergreens have a long history of edible use in North America, predating the arrival of Christmas.
In terms of quantity, a few tablespoons of needles is enough to give any dish (or drink) a deep, appealing aroma. And the flavor is unique and versatile (it’s everything I want in an ingredient). It’s okay to use holiday trees if you know they haven’t been treated in a harmful way (a recent New York Times article about Belgian trees being sprayed with flame retardants raised eyebrows) It’s not something you want to have in your home, but that’s totally fine (another story). Some commercially grown Christmas trees, like many food crops, may have herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides used on them. If in doubt, please ask. You can also collect small fresh branches from trees in your garden or from wild specimens.
* Never eat a single evergreen tree. Yew trees (botanically known as Taxus species) are poisonous.
To make fir paste, pick or cut the needles from fresh fir twigs and transfer them to a spice grinder. Pulse until very fine and no large pieces remain. You can also chop it by hand if you process it until it’s very fine and almost paste-like. The moist, intensely scented fir is now ready to be incorporated into the fir pistachio cookie dough. (It’s also delicious mixed with salt or sugar for a longer seasoning, or added to roasted root vegetables, baked apples, pears, quinces, grilled salmon, and rich roasted meats such as duck or pork belly.)
Fir tip: Fir resin has a good fragrance and is sticky. After handling fir needles, wipe the knife or spice grinder blade with mineral oil or rubbing alcohol and rinse with warm water.
