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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Crostini with Pea Pesto




From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know, I know. The color is impossible. I've tried to tone it down but to no avail. It remains greener than the glorious hues that blanket the floor and hillsides of the valley in which we live. I obviously wouldn't post this, if it had no merit. So, let me say upfront, that these crostini are different, delicious and decidedly easy to prepare. If you are still looking for nibbles with which to start your holiday meal you might want to give them a try. The recipe was developed by Giada De Laurentis who obviously must love peas. She has used them to create a pesto that can be used as a spread or pasta sauce. I made a few changes to her recipe, but they are really minor and involved the addition of extra garlic and a squirt of fresh lemon juice. I also thought the size of the crostini was too large for a nibble, so I used a baguette and cut it into 12 rather than the 8 pieces that were recommended. The pesto should be made several hours before you plan to serve it. Its flavors improve with age and I think you'll be surprised at how well they meld. While this may not be to the liking of all, it is a really nice spring starter that I think you'll enjoy. Here's the recipe.

Crostini with Pea Pesto...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:

Pesto:
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1/3 cup olive oil
Crostini:
8 (1/2-inch thick) slices whole-grain baguette or ciabatta bread, preferably day-old, * see Cook's Note
1/3 cup olive oil
8 cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 small tomato, diced

Directions:

1) To make pesto: Pulse peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper together in a food processor. With machine running, slowly add olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
2) To make crostini: Preheat a stovetop griddle or grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush both sides of sliced bread with olive oil and grill until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer bread to a clean surface and spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of prepared pesto on each slice. Top with tomato halves and serve. Yield: 8 crostini.








One Year Ago Today: Fresh Cod and Potato Cakes with Tarragon Sauce











Two Years Ago Today: Spring Vegetable Ragout



36 comments:

  1. I think these are beautiful and the color is lovely! Have a great weekend Mary!

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  2. I have never heard of pea pesto! So very good for those of us who cannot eat nuts so can't have regular pesto!! I would make it if I had a food processor or a blender, it looks really good, would be such fun to serve at Christmas!!! I DO have an immersion blender, though....

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  3. what a new twist on pesto!!! thank you!
    thank you too for your thoughts today. Thank you for being my blogging friend. I appreciate you.
    happy weekend!!

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  4. What a beautiful sign of spring: peas. Although we still seem to be enduring rain and clouds here in the PNW.

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  5. I have never heard of pea pesto before Mary !Green is the colour of spring! have a good weekend, blessings...

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  6. I love the color!! (I see great possibilities for Christmas too). How pretty, I've never heard of pea pesto before either.

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  7. I love peas and this looks great! Happy Weekend:@)

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  8. They just scream Spring with their lovely green colour!

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  9. I always love a new way to use peas. I adore them. Thanks.

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  10. Ooooh, what a gorgeous starter for spring! Sounds as good as it looks, too!

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  11. I really really like this bright green color. This is a great appetizer at any time of year!

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  12. I'm all about green! And, I love the idea of having a pesto that can be on a winter table--one that doesn't rely on basil, which can cost an arm and leg in a midwest winter market.

    I hope you have a delicious weekend.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  13. This looks amazing! Great idea. I will have to try!

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  14. Meeting her tonight! And it may be my obsession with all things neon right now but i love the color!

    Sarah

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  15. I think they looks glorious; I can almost taste the Spring.
    Rita

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  16. I have to admit, the most adventurous I've ever gotten with peas is to add them to a pasta dish a la Giada. I love this bright green pesto -- made one with arugula once. Must try this one. No need to tone down! Beautiful.

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  17. what nice and perfect crostinis:)))

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  18. This is beautifully done, I will save this for next St Patricks Day but will be adorned on the Christmas table as well just gorgeous!

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  19. Perfect for Easter Brunch! I am pinning this NOW! :) Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  20. wow, talk about going green, that looks fabulous!

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  21. Oh yum…this sounds so delicious! How nice to serve this as an appetizer for Easter! Perfect for Spring!

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  22. I've never heard of pea pesto...cool! The picture is great I think.

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  23. The color is half the fun of this...I would love to try this on pasta. I can't believe it's made with frozen peas!

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  24. so delicious!! must try it! I've always wanted to make crostini with pesto and sundried tomatoes but felt that basil pesto would be too salty with sundried tomatoes! This pea version looks great!

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  25. I love your blog, Mary! And your crostini with peas looks very fresh and lovely for a spring appie!! xo Smidge Happy to follow you :) Yay!!

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  26. Yum, I would love one for lunch :)
    mickey

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  27. I love the green color! These look DELICIOUS!

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  28. Dear Mary, As Kermit sings, "its not easy being green"!! but, being quite delicious is easy to love! Thank you for a beautiful pesto. Have a wonderful evening my dear. Blessings, Catherine xoxo

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  29. I love to see the green this bright...it reminds me of all of the good nutrition that is in this:-). I agree on the baguette - that is always what I use for crostini.

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  30. I agree with one of the commenters, everything just looks so colorful and definitely delicious.

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  31. this is interesting for sure....i might try this!!

    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in

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  32. I know I would just love this pesto as a pasta sauce! The color is so fabulous.

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  33. Oh wow. This looks and sounds so much better than basil pesto. I love peas too! I really need to invest in some green peas and explore their versatile goodness.

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  34. I think it looks lovely. I kept a recipe from a Chatelaine about 7 years ago for a mashed pea crostini which looked similar. Yours has a lot more flavor with the pesto addition. I think it sounds like a great thing to serve as a nibbly to guests.

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  35. I just saw this in the "one year ago" section under your lemon ice, it looks delicious and really different- I just Pinned it for the next time I have a party!

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