Pea Shoot Pesto with Spring Garlic

Here's the truth: we planted our peas before setting trellises (always a mistake) and let other gardening/life projects block our view to this particular area of the garden. As the poor dears stretched up looking for a safe hold, only to find nothing, they turned to the left. Nothing. To the right. Panic. Before we could save them, they were back down where they started like silent, fallen heroes.

Taking up prime real estate in our rows, yet unable to compost their endearing efforts, pea shoot pesto seemed the only reasonable option.

This death shall not be in vain I thought as I whirled the tender shoots into the blade of my Cuisinart. Toss in a little Parmesan and lemon zest with the fresh bite of spring garlic, and my mishap neatly blossomed into fortune.

If you were on top of your game and have peas twirling up a lovely trellis by now, top shoots can still be spared for this dish.

Excellent spread on crostini, tossed with pasta, slathered onto roasted chicken or grilled steak, or used as a dip for roasted veggies and such.

When life gives you lemons (or pea shoots), throw them in the next batch of pesto.

Pea Shoot Pesto with Spring Garlic (amounts are approximate)

*3 cups loosely packed green pea shoots

*1/2 bulb spring garlic

*3 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds or toasted pine nuts

*1/4 cup grated Parmesan

*sea salt

*fresh ground black pepper

*zest of 1/2 lemon

*olive oil for blending

Pulse pea shoots in food processor with garlic and nuts/seeds. Add Parmesan, sea salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Blend. With blade running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream until pesto takes on desired consistency. Use immediately or store transfer to a glass jar fitted with a lid and store in fridge.

Garlic Scape Pesto and Thoughts on Food Independence

I figured there are enough red, white, and blue recipes floating around foodie cyberspace today, so at risk of being taken as unpatriotic (quite the opposite is true, I will be playing with sparklers and barbecuing this evening like most my fellow Americans) here is a simple recipe to compliment your festivities, along with a few thoughts:

When I think of the Declaration of Independence and its goal to protect equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I can't help but reflect on what those sentiments mean in terms of eating. Ideally, we should all have equal rights/access to nourishing food despite our differences in class or heritage. Our food supply should sustainably support human and environmental life. We should have gastronomic liberty (liberty by definition: The sate of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life), and be free to pursue happiness through unadulterated food pleasures and by being healthy.

Well, we have some work to do before seeing such a reality, but at times I catch glimpses. Farmers markets are rebounding across the nation. Individuals are starting to take their health into their own hands, and gardening is enjoying an immense modern comeback. "Grass-fed" is the hottest food trend of late, while chefs and home cooks are realizing the importance of local, fresh, real food, grown in good soil. CSA's are thriving. Food bloggers have awesome and devout readers (thanks all). We're making progress.

As I spent the morning in the garden, trimming the scapes from our rows of garlic, I imagined all the old-timers of generations passed, bent over tending the rows of their own gardens, eating well and preserving their yields for later months, and how this agricultural history demonstrates true patriotism and independence. It is a beautiful thing to feed yourself from the soil you live on, or to be fed by the abundance of a neighbor's. In the modern age, I would even say it has become a luxury. But if we keep our eye on its importance, and support agriculture which clearly relies on integrity, I think we will continue to see the pendulum swing.

I know many of us live in cities and have careers which keep us from tending a rooftop garden or pot of basil, but given the renaissance of young farmers returning to the fields to make a living at tending them, most of us can reach out and find a CSA or little market where these folks gather to offer the fruits of their labors. Just google, you will be surprised.

So, happy Independence Day fellow eaters. May we keep free the things which were meant to be, and relish all of our blessings.

Garlic Scape Pesto:

This recipe lacks parmigiano reggiano, which you can easily add at any time.

*2-3 cups chopped garlic scapes

*1/2 cup toasted almonds

*1 teaspoon sea salt

*1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

*1 cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley

*zest from 1 lemon

*1/4- 1/2 cup olive oil (amount will vary depending on amount of scapes)

Trim away the top flowering portion and bottom woody portion of each scape. Place all ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor. Blend. With blade running, slowly pour in olive oil until contents turn into a spreadable paste.

Place pesto in a jar fitted with a lid and store in the refrigerator.

Great on sandwiches, smeared over your next grilled piece of grass-fed meat or tossed with roasted new potatoes. Try as a dip for fresh and roasted veggies too.

Local Lamb Sirloin Chops with Parsley Pesto

Like I have said so very many times before, every morsel from East Fork Farm is downright dreamy. This evening, tender lamb sirloin chops were enjoyed smothered in a perfect parsley sauce fresh from the garden. Accompaniments included; roasted sweet potatoes tugged from the soil just 50 yards from the dinner table, smeared with delicious whole milk ricotta, and organic red wine for sipping. It's good to be alive.

Lamb Sirloin Chops:

*2-4 pasture raised lamb sirloin chops

*sea salt

*pepper

*butter

Bring coals of a charcoal grill to moderate heat, or place a grill pan over medium heat. Coat grill rack or pan with butter. Rinse lamb chops. Pat dry with paper towels. Liberally coat each side of chop with fresh ground pepper and sea salt. Place on hot grill, turning once halfway through, about 3 minutes per side (time will vary depending on thickness of chops). Sear to medium rare, being careful not to overcook. Allow to rest.

Parsley Pesto:

*3 cups loosely packed fresh Italian flat leaf parsley leaves

*2 cloves garlic

*sea salt

*pepper

*extra virgin olive oil

Blend parsley with garlic, sea salt and pepper in a food processor. With blade running, slowly add olive oil until desired consistency. Spoon over whole or sliced chops.

Toast to the hard workers of your local farms, who's tedious labors produce the opportunity for meals such as these.