A handful of almonds, fresh water and a good straining cloth are enough to make a mild almond drink at home. This recipe includes optional cinnamon, cardamom and honey, but the unsweetened base is useful for porridge and smoothies too.

This simple pistachio drink uses milk, shelled pistachios and a little honey. It is lighter in texture than an ice-cream shake, with an optional touch of cardamom and rose water.

These buttery cookies combine chewy dried fruit with crisp pieces of walnut and almond. The dough is simple, but a short chill helps the cookies spread evenly.

A tray of warm cashews is easy to customise with pantry spices. The base recipe uses paprika and sesame; two simple variations offer zaatar or a honey-cinnamon finish.

Fresh basil and gently toasted nuts are the foundation of a good pesto. Start with the pine nut version below, then try walnuts for a deeper flavour or pistachios for a sweeter finish.

These chewy bars bring together oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds and dried fruit. Honey and peanut butter bind the mixture, so there is no need to bake the assembled bars.

This simple tea cake combines walnuts, almonds and pistachios in a lightly spiced crumb. Chopping the nuts evenly gives every slice a little crunch without making the cake difficult to cut.

Ferni is a smooth milk pudding thickened with rice flour. It needs only a saucepan and steady stirring.

Kachi is a warm Persian flour pudding with a silky, spoonable texture. Slowly toasting the flour gives it a gentle nutty flavour; saffron, cardamom and rose water add fragrance without needing a heavy topping.

Tahchin turns rice into a golden centrepiece with a crisp outer crust and a tender chicken filling. Thick yogurt and egg yolks hold the layers together, while saffron gives the rice its colour and aroma.