Not Your Normal Pesto

Hello ladies and gentlemen, I give you my very own recipe from start to finish. I experimented, tasted, mixed, and emulsified my way into an extraordinary "Pea and Spinach Truffle Pesto".

I've seen it done before - pesto made with peas or some other green besides basil...but this was flavor upon flavor that would never be considered just your ordinary pesto. NO, this had texture, body, aroma, and the essence of deliciousness.

Pea and Spinach Truffle Pesto

Ingredients:

1 10oz package of frozen Spinach (microwave and squeeze out excess water)

1 cup cooked Peas

1 cup of chopped Mushrooms (Portabella)

1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese

2 tbls minced Garlic

1 tbls Truffle Butter

2 tbls unsalted butter

1 box of Orecchiette Pasta

2-3 cups of reserved pasta water

I started by sautéing the mushrooms and garlic with half of the unsalted butter, until tender.

Then I added the peas and spinach and seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper. After everything was combined I added two ladles full of the water from the pasta that was boiling.

I whipped out the immersion blender and emulsified everything into a nice thick paste. I added the rest of the unsalted butter and a little more pasta water as needed to make it thinner and into more of a sauce.

Towards the end I added the parmesan cheese and blended the mixture for a few more seconds to really get the cheese incorporated.

I stirred in the truffle butter and could already tell this was going to be one of my most favorite creations. :)

The finished product was delicious and satisfying. The mushrooms gave it a meaty taste and the parmesan added the saltiness I was looking for. One thing I would have loved to add that is usually in traditional pesto was pine nuts. That nuttiness would have added even more great flavor and texture to this dish! Regardless, it was a recipe to remember that's for sure.

Enjoy!!