Peas!

I was recently in Syracuse, NY to celebrate my grandmother's 89th birthday.  She's an amazing and strong woman, my Nanny, and I was glad to be able to spend some time with family.  On the way back to Boston, I was able to stop at the farm and pick some goodies to bring with me.  Thanks David & Al!!

I was very excited to hear that there were more shelling peas to be picked!  There was also some snow peas, spinach, lettuce, and young garlic!  I need to get out there more often :)  I hope you'll forgive me that I'm posting another recipe that pairs peas with pesto.  They just go so well together!   These were quite yummy, and I think my dinner guests agreed :)

Pesto Pea Crostini
Recipe by Shannon
Yield:  1/2c pesto pea mixture, enough for 4-6 as an appetizer w/crostini

1c shelled fresh (or frozen) peas
1 sm garlic clove
2T freshly grated Parmesan
freshly ground black pepper
2T pesto
1-2T olive oil
your favorite loaf of bread (I used ~8oz of Trader Joe's peasant bread, cut into thin slices and then in half)
good olive oil

If using fresh peas, shell them while bringing a medium pot of water to a boil.  Prepare an ice bath in a small bowl (just add cold water and ice).  Add peas to boiling, salted water and cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking and preserve the vibrant green color.

Add peas, garlic, parmesan, pepper and pesto into the bowl of a food processor.  Process until well combined, drizzling in olive oil until mixture comes in together into a smooth spread.

This can be made ahead, simply refrigerate until using.

When ready to serve, preheat oven to 400 (or broil).  Spread out your bread in a singe layer and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake until crispy.  Remove and set crostini on a platter.  Top with a dollop of the pea-pesto mixture and serve!


Race recap to come later this week...