Snow Pea leaves and green garlic pesto

Makes Approximately 1 Cup

In the spring, when green garlic makes t heir short appearance at my local farmers' market, I use it in as many dishes as I can. In th is recipe,

the mild f lavor of the green garlic combined with the savory snow pea leaves wil l add a nice touch to meat or a grilled sandwich.

Ingred ients

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 green garlic bulbs, minced

1 /2 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups fresh spring shoot leaves

1 /2 cup ext ra-vi rg in olive oil

3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Juice of 1 /2 lemon

Instructions

Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the pine nuts and cook for 4 minutes, unti l lightly browned, stirring. Remove from heat and

set aside.

In a large mortar, mash together the green garlic and salt. Add the pine nuts and the pea shoot leaves and continue mashing into a paste.

Add the olive oi l, cheese, and lemon juice, sti rring until combined. Season with additional salt if needed.

If not using right away, put the pesto in a small jar and ref rigerate up to three days. When ready to serve, bring to room temperature.