Replacement for ground almonds in a joconde sponge I am going to try and make a petit gateau with a pistachio joconde layer, however I am not a big fan of almonds. Is there anything I can use that would act as a decent replacement for the ground almonds?

Original recipe is a Mary Berry recipe on the BBC good food site:

For the joconde sponge


3 free-range eggs whites 
15g/½oz caster sugar
100g/3½oz ground almonds
100g/3½oz icing sugar
3 free-range eggs
30g/1oz plain four, sifted
30g/1oz unsalted butter, melted
I suggest looking for a recipe without almonds rather than substituting a major ingredient. If you can't find one without almonds, you may have to track down a similar cake recipe under a different name. 

I'm sure it would be possible to find another ground nut that would work, but it would take some experimenting because the texture and water/fat content of different nuts varies significantly. Almonds in banking often end up softer than other nuts. 

In some parts of Europe, ground hazelnuts are quite common as bulk ingredients in baking, so you may be able to find a recipe based on those with a comparable result. Or you could try the pistachios you mention as a main ingredient, but as I suggested, the texture may suffer.