Pistachio Dukkah (Egyptian Nut and Spice Blend)

First, heat the oven to 150C (300F). Spread the pistachios on a baking sheet and toast them for 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell nutty and have darkened slightly. Tip them onto a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking often, until they are golden and start to pop. Sesame goes from golden to bitter in under a minute, so pull the pan the moment the colour is right.

Then toast the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds with the peppercorns in the same dry pan for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant and a shade darker. Tip them out straight away, because the pan keeps cooking them.

Now let everything cool to room temperature, which takes about 15 minutes. This matters more than any other step: warm nuts give up their oil and the blend turns to paste in the grinder.

After that, grind the toasted spices to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or a mortar. Leave some texture in it rather than taking it to a fine dust.

Next, pulse the cooled pistachios in a food processor in short bursts, checking after each one, until the biggest pieces are about the size of a peppercorn. Stop while it still looks sandy and uneven.

Tip the pistachios, ground spices, sesame seeds, salt and Aleppo pepper into a bowl and stir until evenly mixed. Taste, and add a little more salt if the spices are dominating.

Finally, serve this pistachio dukkah recipe in a shallow bowl beside a saucer of olive oil, with torn bread for dipping. Store what is left in an airtight jar.