If the idea of a mint pea pesto intrigues and haunts you as much as it did to me, I recommend you take out your food processor and gives this a spin. The best part is that it relies on frozen peas, so you can really make this whenever you have some fresh mint in your fridge.
Andrew has been making the most of our fire escapes this year and has been planting pots and pots of herbs, so I had plenty of mint to work with. Now we just need to figure out what to do with all the rest of the mint...I have a feeling there will be more minty recipes in this blog's future. *wink wink*
Spaghetti with Mint Pea Pesto
(Adapted from Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosentrach)
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on your stove. When ready, cook your spaghetti according to package instructions. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add the peas, mint, Parmesan, lemon, and olive oil to a food processor and blend until it has a consistency between a smooth and chunky guacamole.
- Add pesto to the pot you cooked your pasta in. Drizzle some of the reserved pasta water into the pot and whisk until it has the consistency of a creamy sauce. Season to taste, keeping in mind it will become less seasoned when you toss it with pasta.
- Add the spaghetti to the sauce and toss until coated. Serve with more Parmesan.
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