Green Pea Pesto Recipes

PEA PESTO

Steps:

• Sit a sieve in the pan of pasta as it cooks, add the peas and blanch for 2 minutes.
• Peel the garlic and place in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt. Tear in the herb leaves and add the pine nuts.
• Drain the peas and add them to the mix, then roughly bash it all up to whatever texture you like - I like to keep it chunky.
• Finely grate in the Parmesan, and add about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil - enough to give you a spoonable consistency - then mix and season to perfection with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drain the pasta, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water. Toss with the pesto, loosening with some splashes of cooking water.
• Transfer to plates, and finish with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and an extra grating of Parmesan, if you like.

PEA PESTO CROSTINI

Steps:

• For the pea pesto: Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
• For the crostini: Preheat a stovetop griddle or grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and grill until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bread to a clean surface and spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the prepared pesto on each slice.
• Top with tomato halves and serve.
• *Cook's note: If you don't have day-old bread on hand, you can dry out fresh bread by putting the slices in a preheated 300 degree F oven until slightly crisp, about 5 minutes.

KALE AND GREEN PEA PESTO

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan (use one with a lid--you'll need it in a minute).
• Add and cook the kale on medium heat until it just begins to get tender, then add the minced garlic and cook 1 more minute until garlic becomes fragrant.
• Now add the peas, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, stir well, then add the lemon juice, a splash of water, and cover the pan.
• Once the peas are warmed through, turn off the heat and uncover.
• Carefully pour your cooked veggies into your food processor and pulse several times. Begin processing (lowest speed if you happen to have options), adding additional olive oil in a thin stream as necessary to achieve your desired consistency. If I have it around, I like to use the liquid from a jar of good olives at this point instead of the olive oil: it's up to you.
• Once you've reached a smooth consistency you're happy with, taste the pesto for seasoning. Add more salt/lemon juice/pepper as desired, pulse to combine, then you're done and ready to use your pesto!