Prep time:

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 3

250g shelled fresh or frozen peas

2 fat cloves garlic, finely chopped

50g pine nuts, toasted

50g Parmesan cheese, chopped into small chunks

good handful mint leaves

6tbsp extra virgin olive oil

An excellent item for your storecupboard, pesto is great for using up gluts of produce. This recipe is perfect for using up any forgotten peas in the freezer, and it is a real taste of summer, which I hanker for in the winter. It is delicious with pasta, adding a real depth of flavour.

  1. Cook the peas in a pan of boiling water for 2–3 minutes, until just tender, then drain and refresh in cold water. Drain again and pat dry.
  2. Tip the peas into a blender or food processor and add the remaining ingredients. Pulse very briefly, until everything is roughly chopped. Don’t overdo it – the mixture should still have some texture.
  3. To store, put into a tightly lidded container, cover the surface with a little more olive oil and store in the refrigerator for 1 week, or freeze in plastic food bags for up to 1 month.

The Great Dixter Cookbook is published by Phaidon £24.95. Wealden Times readers can buy it with a 30% discount and free UK shipping, using the code DX30 at phaidon.com/dixter offer open until 25 June 2018.

Aaron Bertelsen is appearing at The Garden Hub at the Wealden Times Midsummer Fair.

  • words:
  • pictures: Andrew Montgomery

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