Pea Pesto Recipes

GREEN PEA PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil; add the peas and cook until softened. Drain.
• Blend the peas, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, basil, and pepper in a blender; while the it blends, stream the olive oil into the mixture.

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 PASTA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES & ARUGULA (VEGAN + GF)

Steps:

• Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water, salt generously, and bring to a boil.
• In the meantime, prepare pesto. To a food processor, add basil, parsley, peas, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice, vegan parmesan cheese and sea salt. Mix to combine. While the machine is running, stream in olive oil through the spout.
• Continue blending, scraping down sides as needed, until creamy and fully combined. If it has trouble blending add a bit more olive oil or water.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more lemon juice for acidity/brightness, vegan parmesan for cheesy flavor, salt for saltiness, or peas for sweetness.
• Next add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Be sure not to overcook, and drain when noodles are 'al dente' and still have a slight bite to them. Return to pan off heat and set aside.
• Once your pasta is drained, heat a large saucepan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant but not yet browned.
• Turn off heat and remove skillet from burner, then add cooked pasta and toss to coat.
• Transfer to a serving platter or mixing bowl and add 3/4 of pea pesto and the arugula. Toss to combine.
• Serve warm with additional pesto on the side, and garnish generously with additional parsley, pine nuts, and vegan parmesan cheese.
• Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep in the refrigerator up to 2-3 days. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature.

SPAGHETTI WITH PEA & MINT PESTO

Steps:

• Cook the peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until just tender, then drain and refresh in cold water. Pat dry.
• Tip the peas into a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, parmesan, mint and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then pulse very briefly until the ingredients are roughly chopped. Don't overdo it - they should still have lots of texture. (You can freeze the pesto at this point.)
• Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions until al dente - that's with a bit of bite still. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.
• To serve, toss the spaghetti with the pesto and about 2 tbsp of the water. Pile into warmed bowls and serve at once, with parmesan and olive oil at the table.

PASTA WITH ALMOND-PEA PESTO

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions, adding 1 package of peas during last minute of cooking time. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and peas, and return to pot.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, finely grind almonds. Add lemon zest and juice, remaining package of peas, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; process until well combined. With motor running, gradually add oil; process until smooth.
• Add almond-pea pesto to pasta; toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water (as needed) to adjust consistency of sauce. Season with salt and pepper; serve.

CHEAPO PEA PESTO

Steps:

• Combine the peas, walnuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until chopped into a thick mixture. Add the cheese and lemon juice and pulse again until incorporated.
• With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a thick paste is formed. Turn off the machine and season with salt and pepper. Pulse the pesto one final time to incorporate the seasoning.
• Serve over crostini for an easy appetizer.