Chunky sweet pea, pistachio, and mint pesto with lamb rib chops
Pesto
Italian cuisine
I started putting sweet garden peas in my regular basil pesto as a way to eliminate some of the oil. I figured the moisture from the pureed peas would replace the lubricating power of the olive oil and while that did happen, I also found that I liked the taste better. The peas gave the pesto a slight sweetness that goes great on pasta, chicken, and even pizza. With Easter approaching I started to think a lot about lamb, which led me to thinking about pistachios (since that's the number one thing people are always crusting their lamb with) and mint, naturally. A mint and pistachio pesto started to sound like a great twist on the usual lamb duos. Since I love peas in my pesto and peas are a spring staple often relegated to the side of lamb's plate, I thought I'd let them shine in this pesto.
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<br />Fair warning, this isn't a creamy pesto. It is quite chunky and doesn't run or spread the way a pesto sauce does. If you prefer a smoother sauce, process the garlic, peas, and nuts in the first step longer. You might also have to increase the oil to as much as 1 cup and adjust salt/pepper to taste.
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