make | freshness on a plate: wholewheat spaghetti & pea pesto

This week, we tried adapting an old recipe.  Ordinary pesto is great, but can get a little samey... so we thought, with the fresh tastes of summer (finally!) here, we'd change up our recipe and add peas!

Wholewheat spaghetti is really yummy - it's got a delicious nutty flavour and a rougher texture which makes it perfect for grabbing onto robust sauces like this.  As an added bonus, it's also good for you - a much slower release carbohydrate than the more usual white pasta.   

If you grow your own basil, this recipe is also super cheap and doesn't need much more than what you have in your store cupboards (and freezer!), so it's great to have on hand for when you need to make something tasty, fast.  

So this is our vibrant summer pea pesto.  We love it, and hope you do too. 

Enjoy today!! 

- rosinaviolets    x 

Wholewheat Spaghetti & Pea Pesto
For two portions: 

150g wholewheat spaghetti
200g peas
1 big garlic clove, crushed
1 dessert spoon parmesan
1 dessert spoon olive oil
juice of half a lemon
big handful basil leaves

• Use a big saucepan so there's lots of room for your pasta.  Get your salted water on a really rolling boil, and then add your wholewheat spaghetti.  Cook as per packet instructions (ten minutes is normally good for a lovely al dente texture).  Don't drain away the water as you will need 3 tablespoons of it to add to the pesto!

• Meanwhile, boil the peas in a separate saucepan for two minutes.  Refresh them immediately under cold water.  

• Using a stick blender, blitz the garlic, parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice and 3/4 of your basil together until you make a coarse paste.  Add the peas and then pulse until just combined.  Add the three tablespoons of reserved pasta water before draining the pasta.  

• Return the spaghetti to the saucepan and stir in the pea pesto.  

• Divide between two bowls.  Serve sprinkled with the remaining 1/4 of the basil leaves shredded over the top, and lots and lots of freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice.  Add a colourful salad to beef up your five a day quota!