Pea Pesto Food

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.

WEANING RECIPE: PEA PESTO WITH PASTA SHAPES

Steps:

• Tip the peas into a food processor, along with the pine nuts, Parmesan, basil and olive oil. Blitz until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times. It should be a really smooth consistency with no chunks of pine nut for babies.
• Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, then stir through a little pesto. Babies should need about one teaspoon for a serving.
• Cover and keep the remaining pesto in the fridge for up to 3 days.

PEA PESTO OPEN-FACED SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine basil, peas, garlic, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Process until smooth and blended.
• Toast bread in oven (350 degrees F) or toaster for about 3-4 minutes.
• In a small non-stick saute pan, over medium heat, break Eggland's Best egg onto surface, carefully.
• Fry until transparent membrane turns to white, and yolk is cooked.
• Remove and repeat for each egg.
• Spread about one tablespoon of pesto atop each piece of toast.
• Gently lay each egg atop the pesto.
• Sprinkle with extra salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil (optional).

SWEET PEA PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, place peas, spinach, basil, Parmesan, olive oil, walnuts, garlic and salt and pepper in a blender or food processor.
• Two minutes before pasta is done, ladle out 1/2 cup hot pasta cooking water and add to blender. Pulse until smooth, scraping sides and adding additional pasta water by the tablespoon, if needed.
• When pasta is done, drain lightly and return to pot. Add sauce and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese and tomatoes, if desired.

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.

ALMOND-PEA PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Boil a large pot of salted water, and cook pasta according to directions. When there are about 2 minutes left on pasta, add one of the packages of peas.
• Drain the pasta except for about 1 cup of water, and then return the pasta and water to the pot.
• In a food processor grind the almonds.
• Now add the lemon zest and juice to the to almonds, along with the remaining package of peas, and the salt. Process again. You might have to scrape it down the sides after a minute to make sure it mixes evenly. If the taste is too strong, add more peas.
• Add the olive oil and process again.
• Now add the the sauce to the pasta, tossing it well and adding water as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
• Enjoy!

PENNE WITH PEA PESTO

Steps:

• Cook peas on the stove or in a microwave according to package directions, then drain well.
• With food processor running, drop in garlic and finely chop. Turn off motor and add peas, nuts, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then process until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil, blending until incorporated.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.
• Toss pasta with pea pesto and thin as desired with reserved cooking water. Season with freshly ground pepper.

PEA-SHOOT PESTO

Steps:

• Puree all ingredients in a blender. If not using immediately, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

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.

SWEET PEA PESTO CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Place peas, garlic, vinegar, salt and lemon pepper in a blender or food processor; pulse until well blended. Continue processing while gradually adding oil in a steady stream. Add cheese; pulse just until blended. Add broth; pulse until mixture reaches desired consistency., Cut baguette into 20 slices, each 1/2 in. thick. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Broil 4-5 in. from heat until golden brown, 45-60 seconds per side. Remove to wire rack to cool., To assemble crostini, spread each slice with about 1 tablespoon pesto mixture; top with tomato pieces.