It is not an island but the passionate sea kisses the sunbathed Monterey peninsula with picturesque intensity walk out of hotel to come node to nose (almost) with glistening sea lions sprawling on the rugged rock. The heady, salty sea breeze rings with the sound of their barks, while giant plump, snow-white sea gulls dot the sky. The birds, I must admit, are the biggest of their kind you will see.

You had neither seen such big beautiful pistachios in your life or so many of them. California is the nut-bowl of the world and of you're a pistachio buff you should head to the scenic seaside town of Monterey. And if you are a golfer then this is your Mecca. A mosaic of golf course awaits you and if you want to play in the king of all courses (the sensationally beautiful Pebble Beach), then remember to book a game months ahead.

Legend has it that Emperor Akbar's cooks fed chickens with pistachios for weeks before the royal banquets because the emperor loved the nutty flavour in everything. The Old Testament mentions this ?happy nut? or ?smiling nut? (as the Chinese and Iranians call it), but most of all it is The Queen of Sheba's love for the pistachio that has gone down in history. And walking amid the short trees planted in neat rows in Lost Hills, you begin to feel like the Queen of Sheba herself.

It's here, in the orchards that the uniqueness of this nut begins with the necessity of there being male and female trees. It then gets infused into that fat kernel clasped in the bosom of the shell. And the rich flavour of the pistachio is unmatched.

As you wander in pistas paradise, you are convinced that you are a healthy, colourful nut too. As expected, there is an intensity of colours in the Californian blue skies, the vivid green trees, and the wild blue ocean... And these seem to have been infused into the pistachio. A nutrient- packed gift from the heavens, its green colour has all the goodness of veggies while the purple colour has all that of the berries and purple fruits.

Of course we have the antioxidant, cholesterol lowering, vitamin rich and heart-friendly qualities of pistas. And it is even proving to be useful in weight management. Not long ago, the popular view held that all fats were bad; today we recognize that the nutritional value of food must be weighed in the context of a well- balanced diet and that all fats are not created equal. A growing body of evidence is pointing in the direction of the unique health benefits of pistachios, in the areas of heart health, nutrition, type 11 diabetes and even weight management

You can go kayaking or sailing and in fact Monterey is a great spot to bring kids too. Don't forget to pop into the oceanfront Landmark- the Aquarium, which houses more than 35000 fish, invertebrates, mammals, reptlies, birds and plants. Kids can take scuba diving lessons while you watch divers feed fish in the kelp forest (the kelp grows four inches a day). Or touch a velvety ray in the Bat Ray Petting Pool. RECIPE

PISTACHIO CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB

? Try this simple but delicious pistachio salad dressing and rack of lamb and you can snack on them while you do so.

Ingredients

? rack of lamb; 1 tsp. Garlic, chopped; ? tbsp. Shallots, chopped; ? cup oil; 1 tbsp breadcrumbs; 3 tbsp chopped pistachios; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard; 1 tbsp fresh mint; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar ? cup lamb jus; salt and pepper to taste

Directions

?Rub lamb with garlic, shallots and oil. Sear rack in a pan until browned.

?Mix together breadcrumbs and pistachios. Put mustard on meat portion of rack, top with breadcrumbs/ nut mixture and finish cooking at 375c for 15to20 minutes.

?Remove rack from pan. Discard fat from pan; add mint and balsamic vinegar and heat.

?Add lamb jus. Season with salt and pepper.

?

Pistachio Dressing

?In a food processor, chop the pistachios with the vinegar.

?Remove and place in bowl.

Whisk in oil. . Season to taste.

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