Today’s recipe for a condiment: pea pod pesto, zero waste recipe!
This time of year, fresh peas are in season, the great stars of the spring season, especially in May and June. They are excellent to eat raw or cooked to prepare many delicious recipes, such as legume green meatballs, risottos, salads, or savory pies. But did you know that even the pea pods can be eaten? Yes, they are rich in vitamins, fiber, iron, and minerals and are also low in calories, so they are good for you. If until now you have been throwing away the pods when shelling peas, I assure you that you won’t anymore because you can use them to make this delicious pesto but also soups, burgers, or salads.
Then, if we think about it, how much waste is there after taking the legumes? Why throw away all this food? In fact, the pods are the actual fruits of the plant, while peas are the seeds of the plant itself, so why throw them away as we are used to doing?
Pea pods can be eaten raw or cooked; to make the pesto, we’ll boil them for about ten minutes before passing them through a food mill to remove all the fibrous part that would otherwise make our condiment inedible. Then we’ll blend everything with some almonds, parmesan, and olive oil, and the result will be surprising. You will just have to decide whether to use it to dress a good plate of pasta or to spread it on toasted semi-whole grain bread made at home.
With the doses indicated in this recipe, we will obtain approximately 5 oz of pesto, enough to dress 12-14 oz of pasta.
Now let’s see, step by step, how to make this recipe.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 5 oz of pesto
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Zero Waste
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients for Pea Pod Pesto
- 7 oz oz pea pods
- 0.5 oz oz almonds
- 0.7 oz oz grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp tbsp olive oil
- 2 leaves basil
- to taste salt
Tools
- 1 Scale
- 1 Food Mill
- 1 Immersion Blender
- 1 Pot
Let’s Make Pea Pod Pesto Together
After shelling the peas and gathering the amount of pods we need, wash them in water and then put them to boil in a pot full of water for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain them into a bowl with very cold water to maintain the bright green color and let them cool a bit.
Squeeze the pods with your hands without squeezing too hard, or they’ll get mushy, and put them in the food mill. Turn the crank and thus obtain a cream. Proceed until all the cooked pods are finished.
In the glass of the immersion blender, put the obtained cream, almonds, grated parmesan, salt, basil leaves, and olive oil, then blend to mix all the ingredients together and create a thick cream.
Una Riccia Recommends
The pea pod pesto keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days, closed in a jar or airtight container, or it can be frozen, perhaps in single portions. If you plan to prepare the pesto to dress pasta, I recommend not discarding the cooking water from the pods but using it to cook the pasta itself.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
If I don’t have a food mill, what can I do?
If you don’t have a food mill, you can blend everything together with the immersion blender, but then you’ll need to strain the cream through a sieve or strainer, pressing well to extract all the pesto.
