Spring has finally started to make its presence known at the farmers market. Last week the first of the asparagus showed up and this week it was the peas. Of course I picked some up. I was thinking that I wanted to do something to showcase the freshness of the peas and that a fresh pea pesto would be perfect. Mint always makes things seem more refreshing so I added some of that along with some lemon to brighten things up. Pestos often contain a nut and I though that almonds would be a nice change. For the cheese I went with a sharper pecorino to contrast the sweetness of the peas. Pestos like this are super simple to make, just blend everything in a food processor. I really like to serve pesto on pasta so that was my first stop. The pea pesto on whole wheat penne was really good! It was light, refreshing, sweet and savoury all at the same time. I still had some of the pea pesto left over and it went well on crostini for a snack the next day.
Fresh Pea and Mint Pesto
ingredients
- 1 cup peas
- 2 tablespoons mint
- 2 tablespoons almonds (blanched and peeled)
- 2 tablespoons pecorino cheese (grated, or parmigiano)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Mix everything in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle.
- Serve over cooked pasta or gluten free pasta and enjoy!
Fava Bean Pesto on Fettucini
Asparagus Pesto on Penne
Wild Leek Pesto Pasta
Edamame Dip
Pistachio Pesto
Fresh Pea Salad
Karma by Morgan says
May 21, 2008 at 11:37 pmgreat photo of the food! it looks delicious
VeggieGirl says
May 21, 2008 at 11:48 pmAhh, peas!! They haven’t arrived here yet, but I can’t wait!! And what a lovely variation on pesto sauce, with the peas – yum!
Ben says
May 22, 2008 at 12:01 amOh yeah, spring is in the air and in our plates. Beautiful pictures 🙂
Manggy says
May 22, 2008 at 1:16 amI don’t have a food processor– we’ll just have to see what my mortar and pestle (slash arm muscles) can manage, heh 🙂 I love all things leguminous, so this looks very good!
p.s. nice plate too!
LyB says
May 22, 2008 at 1:29 amThat green is so vivid, I love it! This looks very beautiful and delicious Kevin!
Marc @ NoRecipes says
May 22, 2008 at 5:35 amNicely done! Fresh peas are a bit of a pain to shell, but the results speak for themselves. I can almost imagine the sweet minty goodness.
canarygirl says
May 22, 2008 at 7:08 amOoooh! This looks so delicious!
nicole says
May 22, 2008 at 7:08 amI wish I could have a good pea pesto crostini snack.You always have something good and creative on your blog.
Meeta says
May 22, 2008 at 9:31 amA unique take on the pesto. Lovely idea using peas. I love that green!
Jan says
May 22, 2008 at 10:59 amLove the idea of pea pesto Kevin!
Dhanggit says
May 22, 2008 at 11:10 ami love this idea, asparagus pesto on penne!! yummy!
Cara says
May 22, 2008 at 12:31 pmThis sounds yummy – I’ve recently discovered I like peas so I would love to try this.
diva says
May 22, 2008 at 1:05 pmkevin, looks great. nice touch with the mint. i can’t wait for the farmers’ markets here too. i’ll be trying to grab as much as the wallet allows!
RecipeGirl says
May 22, 2008 at 1:11 pmDo you know that I have never, ever purchased fresh peas?? Something about shellling them all frightens me. I absolutely love peas though so I should give it a go. Your creation looks like a great choice!!
romina says
May 22, 2008 at 1:17 pmAnything with “pesto” catches my eye!! Delicious!
Bellini Valli says
May 22, 2008 at 1:56 pmSuch a springtime meal Kevin:D
Gloria says
May 22, 2008 at 2:22 pmMmmmm!!! yummy,yummy,yummy Kevein what’s nice look this!! love this xGloria
Sharon says
May 22, 2008 at 3:02 pmI’ve never bought fresh peas either, but those look SO much better than any I’ve ever had. Beautiful dishes!
Pia says
May 22, 2008 at 3:35 pmwow, this looks really good. i’m going to try to make it or something with peas this weekend. inspired by your photo on tastepotting…i had a yummy pea appetizer in a restaurant recently – it has mint and cheese and was sweet and savory – but i’ve never made anything with fresh raw peas…in indian food they always just turn it into a cooked vegetable. we are trying not to order delivery for one year in manhattan: http://www.redredblue.com/nodelivery/
Deborah says
May 22, 2008 at 3:56 pmI love the idea of a pea pesto – it sounds so fresh and spring-like!
Lina says
May 22, 2008 at 4:04 pmI love the beautiful green color! looks like a wonderful dish!
LisaRene says
May 22, 2008 at 4:40 pmBeautiful photos and delicious dish! Simply lovely pesto, almost too good to eat, I’d be happy to just look at it 🙂
noble pig says
May 22, 2008 at 4:46 pmKevin, the colors came out so perfect. I don’t think I’ve seen a better grren color on food. It’s just beautiful. I want to make this for a Spring dinner! Thank you.
gaga says
May 22, 2008 at 6:18 pmYum. That looks so refreshing and the color is gorgeous. Those peas are HUGE!
Great idea!
Laura @ Hungry and Frozen says
May 22, 2008 at 7:30 pmThat looks so delicious, Kevin. I love the twist on regular Pesto. Sounds perfect for Spring! I love wholewheat pasta though it’s surprisingly hard to find here…
Pam says
May 22, 2008 at 9:03 pmWhat a great spring dish! I love the idea of using the leftovers on crostini.
Erin @ The Skinny Gourmet says
May 22, 2008 at 9:24 pmKevin, another great post. I have to say I have really enjoyed following your blog, since I was first introduced to you by way of your mouthwatering tom yum soup when I hosted WHB.
For what it is worth, I’ve tapped you as an outstanding blog that I admire.
Ginny says
May 23, 2008 at 1:09 amLooking great kevin! Love pesto and this is a great new idea!
Jen Yu says
May 23, 2008 at 1:42 amThat looks so refreshingly green and springy! Gorgeous, Kevin!
Heather says
May 23, 2008 at 3:16 amOoh, that is a wonderful idea, Kevs. Can I call you Kevs?
tigerfish says
May 23, 2008 at 8:42 amNever tried a pea pesto before! Looks like anything “green” works 😛
Nina's Kitchen (Nina Timm) says
May 23, 2008 at 9:14 amThis looks so fresh and delicious, both on the pasta and the crostini.
Hillary says
May 23, 2008 at 3:01 pmWhat a beautiful green color! I would love to try this.
Ruth Daniels says
May 23, 2008 at 3:06 pmGreat post, stunning photos and delicious recipes. What’s not to love! Thanks for sharing with Presto pasta Nights.
Lisa says
May 23, 2008 at 4:10 pmPeas are one of my very favorite veggies. Spring is an exciting time for cooks!
katiez says
May 23, 2008 at 6:20 pmLemon with the mint… wonderful idea. As is the Pea Pesto…
Wouldn’t that be lovely over asparagus…Hmmm….?
Renaedujour says
May 23, 2008 at 8:54 pmI’m so taken by the pea/mint combo.Excellent work!
'Chef' says
May 23, 2008 at 11:30 pmKevin, the pea pesto looks delicious! I love your ‘custom’ twist with the almonds and pecorino. We’ve had fresh peas here for a while now, but I noticed some nice ones at the market today. I’m putting this on the menu for next week – thanks!
Anonymous says
May 24, 2008 at 10:23 amWhat a great combination. Love this recipe.
chriesi says
May 24, 2008 at 1:49 pmWow, fantastic colour. Sounds very good.
vonsachsen says
May 25, 2008 at 6:06 amGorgeous photography, Kevin!
Neen says
May 26, 2008 at 11:35 pmLooks fabulous! Mint and Peas in any combination are fantastic. I made a mint pea soup just this week, and it was absolutely lovely. 🙂
Suganya says
May 28, 2008 at 6:41 amWow! Green has never been so glamorous before. Beautiful.
Jaime says
May 29, 2008 at 2:56 amwhat an interesting flavor combination!
TBC says
May 29, 2008 at 10:57 pmI love the sound of your pea pesto!
It looks so good on crostinis. I’m not very fond of peas, but this makes me want to try it!
Shubha Ravikoti says
June 4, 2008 at 6:14 pmWoow this looks awesome Kevin… Love the peas pesto combination ans the color is sooo beautiful……
Ricki says
June 8, 2008 at 12:43 amThis looks perfect–and I’m thrilled to find another way to use some of my fresh mint!
This is my first visit to your blog and I’m glad I found it–looks like you’ve got some excellent recipes (and your photos are lovely). Looking forward to exploring the archives.
TING says
May 10, 2009 at 5:27 pmit looks so freshhhh! 🙂
Anonymous says
May 17, 2009 at 8:58 pmIt is 98 degrees today in town. I just made this pea pesto recipe using peas I picked up at Farmer’s this morning. The meal was superb! The perfect recipe for a very hot day.
Anonymous says
May 17, 2009 at 8:59 pmYour blog is awesome! You are very talented!
Paula says
June 25, 2009 at 7:43 pmthis was delicious – we had it with salmon teriyaki
mary says
July 8, 2009 at 1:50 amThis dish looks like my style of eating: pasta and fresh veggies. Yum.
Claudia says
August 22, 2010 at 9:51 amI was looking for a pea pesto for my fish fillet when I came across with your blog… I'm amazed! Your recipes are wonderful and the photos… Uau!
Thank you from Portugal!
Amanda says
September 10, 2010 at 4:16 amMy sister pointed me towards your site and I love following it and checking out all of your great recipes! Just wanted to let you know I tried this one out and LOVED it so much I blogged about it.:) Thanks for the delicious recipe!
-Amanda
http://www.seegirlcook.com