Tuesday, July 12

sweet pea and parmesan crostini

It's July, which is my favorite month of the year, hands down.  For me, July signifies sunny weekend days spent at the beach and warm, late night casual dinners on the deck, all accompanied by the wonderful anticipation of my upcoming summer holidays. 

July also means that it's our local fresh pea season! 

I love fresh peas, and when they are in season, we gobble them up around here.  Shelled and tossed into salads, or standing in Granny's garden and eating them as fast as I can while fighting off my brother, I'll take them any way I can get them!


Here is an easy, delicious recipe to utilize those summer peas that I made last summer when fresh peas were in abundance.
~ courtesy of Chatelaine magazine ~

8 thinly sliced pancetta rounds
2 cups (500 mL) shelled fresh peas
1 lemon
1/2 cup (125 mL) freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (50 mL) shredded fresh basil
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
Generous pinches of salt
16 toasted baguette slices

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook until crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove to a paper towel. When cool, carefully slice in half.
Meanwhile, bring a partially filled pot of water to a boil. Add peas. Cook until very tender, 5-15 minutes. Drain well.
Place peas in a food processor. Squeeze 2 tbsp juice from lemon and add to peas along with parmesan, basil, oil and salt. Pulse until smooth. Taste and add more oil and lemon juice if you wish. To serve, top each baguette slice with a dab of pea purée, then a piece of pancetta. Spread more purée over top.

For easy baguette toasts, cut baguette into thin slices. Lightly brush both sides with olive oil. Bake on a large baking sheet at 500F (260C) until golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Cool before using.



6 comments:

  1. Yum, yum, yum! Thanks for sharing. This is right up my alley. My girl and I stand in our garden and fight over the peas just like you and your brother did. (What kind of mom am I to fight my kid for peas???) This looks so delicious, hopefully I can get some made up this week.

    I hope you had a wonderful birthday. I totally stopped over here earlier and thought I had left you a birthday comment but I must be losing my mind, cuz I didn't see one from me this time. (I know I was here, I am gonna blame my lack of comment on blogger...) Did you have a great day? My sis is right along with ya. Last year she managed to celebrate her birthday for two weeks. I am wondering if she can make it an entire month this year. Hope you made out like a princess! A peony one at that!

    Enjoy these beautiful days of summer. Raspberry picking is on our list for tomorrow. I can't wait!
    Kate

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  2. So funny I came over & my sister has already been here! ALl the better because I KNOW she will totally make this for me!!! YUM!!! You can bet I will enjoy it! Thanks!

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  3. Thanks Trish...have guests coming this weekend and was wondering what to serve as an appetizer. Pea season here too...so done and dusted!

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  4. Happy to share with you guys!

    Auntie Cake ~ Happy raspberry picking! One for the bucket, few for the mouth, one for the bucket...and so on, right?

    Libbie ~ You are so like my sister...she's always the ever happy taste tester!

    J ~ You are such a great cook, you will probably take this up a notch somehow! Share if you do!

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  5. I am SO glad I saw this! I am crazy about peas! These look AMAZING!!!! YUM!!!

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  6. This looks and sounds soooo delicious! I'm sorry to say that I don't ever use fresh peas...don't know why, just never have...but this has me wanting to find a pea vine ASAP...can't wait to try it!
    xo J~

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