A kind of Middle Eastern panforte, this ancient Arabic sweetmeat known as alaju comes from Spain courtesy of the Moors. It’s a bit fiddly skinning the blanched pistachios, and not essential if you can’t be bothered, but the resulting nuggets of brilliant jade green are a joy to behold. Toast them for a few minutes brushed with a little oil in a really hot oven to make them nice and crunchy. Similarly, it is worth shallow-frying the almonds to a golden brown, for a toastier flavour and a superior crunchy texture. Once the nuts are out of the way, the rest of the recipe is simple.