This is a great spread or paté to make on a Sunday morning. The leftovers will be great on pasta or on a sandwich or… for tomorrow’s breakfast.
serves 6-8
INgredients
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil
1 clove garlic
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
½ or l lemon
¼ teaspoon sea salt + a pinch
freshly ground black pepper
a few shakes of sweet Hungarian paprika
Arugula leaves for garnish
A few slices whole grain bread
Process Wash the peas well. Place a small saucepan of water with a pinch of salt on the stove, on a medium flame. When the water boils, add the peas. When they float to the top and turn a deeper shade of green,
remove them with a wire mesh skimmer. Allow them to cool. Heat a small stainless steel skillet on a medium flame (for about 1 minute). Add the pine nuts and use cooking chopsticks or a wooden spoon to turn the nuts so they are golden on all sides. They will begin to sweat and then they’ll turn a light brown –
they are done. The whole process takes about two minutes. Remove from pan and set them aside to cool. Wash the basil leaves well and chop them roughly. Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces.
Squeeze the half lemon. Note: you may want to add a bit more lemon in the end; I did. Add all ingredients, in above order, to blender.
Blend well. Adjust seasoning and lemon juice to taste. Place in a small glass or ceramic bowl and sprinkle with the Hungarian paprika (if desired).
Spread on whole grain bread.
Garnish with whole or chopped arugula.
©Nancy Wolfson-Moche 2013
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