The Busy Gourmand

I have read about arugula pesto before. I always thought that the bitterness of the arugula would overwhelm any dish. I added peas to balance the bitterness with some sweetness.

You should use the measurements as a guideline. What you want to do is balance the sweetness and the bitterness so a bit more oil or cheese will need to be added based on the flavor mix. At some point you want to taste the flavors of each ingredient.

• 1 cup tightly packed arugula leaves
• 1/2 cup sweet peas
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, shredded (plus or minus a couple of tablespoons)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus or minus a couple of tablespoons)
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the walnuts to a small food processor and process until the walnuts are finely chopped. Add the arugula and process until the leaves are largely reduced to a paste. Add the peas and process again until it forms a paste. You may have to use a spatula to push the ingredients further down into the bowl of the processor. Slowly add the olive oil while continuing to process all of the ingredients until you get a very wet paste. You may have to add more olive oil depending on the water in the ingredients. Add the cheese and process until fully incorporated. Adjust the pesto based on the taste. You should be able to taste the arugula and the peas. If it is too sweet add some more cheese. If it is too bitter add some more oil. Finish with a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper.

You can serve this the traditional will with a bit of pasta or use as a condiment with fish or chicken.