Spaghetti with Pea & Mint

With peas in season I can't help but to over buy. This recipe used a shed load and tasted delicious. 

Ingredients

500g shelled fresh peas (approx just under 1.8kg in their pods)

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

50g pine nuts, toasted

50g fresh vegetarian Italian hard cheese, chopped into small chunks

good handful fresh mint leaves (about 20g)

Zest and juice of a Lemon

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

350g dried spaghetti

Method 

Cook half the peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until just tender, then drain and refresh in cold water.

Tip the peas into a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, Italian hard cheese, lemon juice and zest, mint and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then pulse very briefly until the ingredients are roughly chopped. Don’t overdo it – they should still have lots of texture. 

Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions until al dente – that’s with a bit of bite still. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.

To serve, toss the spaghetti with the pesto and about 2 tbsp of the water. Pile into warmed bowls and serve at once, with Italian hard cheese and olive oil at the table.