Adapted from COWGIRL CHEF: Texas Cooking with a French Accent (Running Press)
4 cups fresh peas (or you may use frozen)
½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
6 leaves mint
1 minced shallot
1 teaspoon olive oil
Put a medium-size pot of salted water onto boil. When it boils, drop in your peas and set the timer for 2 minutes. While the peas are cooking, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
When the timer goes off, drain the peas in a colander and put them in the ice water bath so they’ll stay pretty and green.
Make your pesto. Put your cooled peas in a food processor or blender along with the rest of the ingredients and purée just until combined— this is meant to be coarse rather than smooth; we’re not going for a super-smooth purée. Pop in the fridge for an hour to let the flavors come together.
Ellise Pierce is the Cowgirl Chef and author of COWGIRL CHEF:
Texas Cooking with a French Accent (Running Press). Read her blog
(www.cowgirlchef.com), follow her on Twitter (@cowgirlchef) and Instagram
(cowgirlchef)
