First hint of spring green

When life hands you pistachios, make oil. That’s what Gail and Gene Zannon decided. They harvest nuts from 380 acres of pistachio trees in the Cuyama Valley for their Santa Barbara Pistachio Co., a longtime farmers market favorite. Now they’ve introduced a toasted pistachio oil that is a knockout. With a golden-green hue, it smells powerfully of the nut, and at $18 for an 8 1/2 -ounce bottle, it’s every bit as good as European brands that sell for half again as much. A raw oil is coming in a couple of months. Try glazing some cauliflower with butter and lemon zest and then baptizing it with a thin thread of this brilliant green oil. Maybe add a few chopped nuts for crunch. What could be better than that?

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Santa Barbara Pistachio Co. Toasted Pistachio Oil, $18 for 8 1/2 ounces. Only at the Wednesday and Saturday Santa Monica farmers markets.

-- Russ Parsons