Peas with fresh mint pesto

A simple dish with big flavour!

I’m a lifelong fan of peas and serve them to my family often. Fun story: when my daughter was about 2 years old, every time she saw peas on her plate she’d wave her tiny little hand at them and call out cheerfully, “Hi, little guys!” I have no idea where that came from but I am happy that to this day, peas are always welcomed at our table. I decided to up my game a little this week to take advantage of the out-of-control mint in my garden. This simple pesto is so delicious and I cannot wait to try it on chicken, fish, pasta, carrots, crostini and more.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) packed fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) minced chives or green onion stems
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) minced fresh garlic (about 1 large clove)
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) water
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) finely grated lemon zest
• Salt, to taste
• 2 cups (500 mL) hot, cooked peas

Method

• Place all ingredients except peas in a food processor or blender and pulse until blended to a paste, scraping down sides of work bowl occasionally. If the mixture does not get quite as smooth as you would like, add another teaspoon (5 mL) each of olive oil and water and process a bit more.
• Transfer to a jar with a tight lid. If making more than an hour ahead of time, refrigerate and give the pesto a stir before using.
• Toss hot cooked peas with 2- 3 tablespoons of pesto. Serve warm.
• Notes: this recipe makes approximately 1/2 cup (125 mL) of pesto and can easily be multiplied. Leftover pesto can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to a year (I like to pack it into small zippered bags so I can press all the air out).

Serves 3 – 4.