Ingredients
- 2 cups of frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons pignolis, toasted (see note)
- 2 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
- 4 tablespoons pesto, recipe follows
Directions
Cook the peas in a pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute. Immediately immerse the peas in a bowl of ice cold water, and drain when fully cooled.
To assemble, place the spinach leaves in a salad bowl. Sprinkle the peas and pignolis over the spinach. Add the pesto and toss.
Note: To toast pignolis, place them in a dry saute pan and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until evenly browned, tossing frequently.
Pesto:
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis
3 tablespoons diced garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
Copyright, 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All Rights Reserved
Yield: 4 cups
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By jenzazy
on May 25, 2012
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awesome
By The Petite Gourmet
Portland, OR
on September 08, 2011
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Ina can do no wrong in my book! This recipe is so incredibly easy, but so incredibly tasty. I almost always have a jar of Ina's pesto in my fridge or freezer, but when I've really been in a time or budget crunch, I've used good-quality store-bought pesto and it works just fine. My boyfriend hates peas - he insists he's "allergic" - and even he loves this salad. It's a staple in my kitchen!
By kingdietrich
chicago, IL
on September 06, 2011
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This was very good. I make another, old fashioned 7-layer pea salad and instead of cooking the peas, I just put them in a colander and run hot water on them as I toss them around. Works just fine and removes the whole cooking step. This is a great easy salad though.
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