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Green Pea Pesto
Introduction from Claire Thomson
If I never see another jar of pesto it will be too soon. I can appreciate the speed and ease of boiling pasta and spooning sauce from a jar, but jarred pesto sauces are too salty and give little in the way of nutritional value. Pesto in a jar has hijacked the supermarket shelves and home fridges of a generation. There is another way. Pesto doesn’t have to be made with basil – and purists who insist otherwise, I say, ‘More fool, you.’ In the time it takes for the pasta to cook, depending on shape, the following pesto recipe can be made from scratch.
Ingredients
Essential kit
You will need a blender or stick blender.
Method
1. Pour the peas into a wide, shallow bowl and cover with boiling water.
2. Drain the peas once softened. They don’t need to be hot.
3. In a blender, or using a stick blender, blitz the peas with the crème fraîche, mint leaves, garlic, lemon and olive oil. Pulse the mix – it is nice to have a bit of pea texture and for it not to be too homogenous. Alternatively, reserve about a third of the frozen peas and add them whole to the whizzed mass.
4. Once blitzed to the desired consistency, stir in the grated Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
5. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain.
6. Put the pea sauce into the pasta pan and stir over a moderate heat for 30 or so seconds, to take the chill off. Add the cooked pasta, mix well and serve in bowls, with extra Parmesan.
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