Pea Pesto

So our peas have matured and we've enjoyed them lightly steamed and also raw in salads.

The pea shoots are edible, and we had lots of them.

The thought occured to me that perhaps they might make a decent pesto.

I hacked away at the plants and brought in a big bowlful. I rinsed them out-- I'm sure there was a bit of dog pee on them (thanks, Django), and pulled the leaves from the tough stems.

I steamed the stems to make a weak pea stock, then blanched the leaves in the hot water for a few seconds.

I scooped out the leaves and squeezed out much of the moisture, then put them in the food processor with a good pinch of salt, some pepper, and some of the stock, and gave it a good whirl. It produced a satisfying green, pea-flavored puree.

Not really a pesto, of course: no garlic, no nuts, no cheese.

But when you take a good tablespoon of it, and slowly blend in some good homemade vinagraitte, it makes a wonderful salad dressing.

The New Summer Salad:

To a bowl of cleaned, mixed greens, add a handful of chopped feta cheese, some shelled, raw peas, and the afforementioned pea vinagraitte. Stir, portion, eat.

Other uses? I bet it'd go well with some sauteed scallops. Pasta is a given. Swirled into vegetable soup. What else? Any ideas? Anyone? Bueller?