Pea Pesto

Believe it or not, but peas are in season, and this is yet another vegetable I could not stand growing up as a kid. I know why that was as well. It was because we were served peas out of a can, and if there is one thing I cannot stand to this day, it is any vegetable served out of a can! But today, I love peas. Fresh peas, or frozen, they are really great. I still make an attempt to let my kids know how great they are with a bit of melted butter and salt and pepper, but like a young me, they refuse to eat them.

Peas can be used in most anything if you think about it. Great in fried rice, as a soup, mixed in with corn, or heck, even on a sandwich. My new found favorite use is making a pesto out of it.

Pesto as we know it, is typically made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, but that does not mean you have to go by the books. Since peas were in season, I wanted to make a batch of something very similar to the traditional pesto, but see if I could get away with using peas instead, and boy, did I ever get away with it.

Huge flavors with just the right amount of garlic and parmesan cheese, you would never know that peas were even in it, unless of course, you leave just the perfect texture, exposing a bit of the pea along the way. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of frozen peas
• couple basil leaves
• 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic, rough chop
• 1 tsp of salt, to taste
• generous pinch of black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 to 1/2  of olive oil

Toss everything into a food processor or blender, and make into a nice puree. Make sure to scrape the edges before blending again, just to make sure you get everything incorporated.

The great thing about making any type of pesto is that you can use it on anything, and it stays great in the refrigerator for a handful of days. You can even put some in your ice cube trays and freeze them until later use. Great, vibrant and bold flavors that will keep you coming back for more.

By the way, instead of placing the pesto in a warm pasta, I decided to grill some homemade pizza dough and use the pea pesto as the base, topping with a bit of sliced red onion, portabella mushrooms, and fresh goat cheese. It was to die for! Enjoy.