So when I saw this recipe from Waitrose, it felt like the perfect marriage of guilty pasta and veggies! This pesto is so vibrant and fresh tasting, with the garden peas… while also still feeling like a traditional pesto, with garlic and basil. It’s delicious but also feels almost healthy.

The perfect recipe to enjoy after spending the day gardening in the allotment Which is pretty much what we do every weekend!

So if you’re looking for a quick meal on a weeknight, this is the jam! And you can easily swap out the kale for spinach, or another similar green. In fact, I actually prefer the flavour of spinach as opposed to kale. It’s subtler, which allows the pea and basil to really shine.

If you’re the type to keep frozen peas on hand, it’s an easy fridge meal. That is if you’re the type who keeps spinach or kale on hand. Enjoy!

While in my course at the Northwest Culinary Academy, we spent a day at an allotment garden in Richmond. Part of what we learned was about foraging for edible items. One of the things readily available in the springtime is stinging nettle! As the culinary students were required to use a foraged item in their menu development (and the pastry students were their guinea pigs), I got to try plenty of nettle pesto!

Now, if you’re like me, you may not have heard of stinging nettle before. Honestly, I don’t know how I wasn’t aware of it until that day, as it’s everywhere! It’s not just prolific, but it’s also the kind of thing you should be aware of… it hurts! Seriously, don’t touch this stuff without protective gloves. I accidentally touched the bag I was putting it in with my arm and got stung. I guess my gloves have some residue on the outside…

But while stinging nettle, well… stings, it’s also one other thing – free! Homemade pesto is one of those things that always seems to cost too much. Fresh basil and pine nuts aren’t the cheapest things to buy. So I decided to try my hand at making some nettle pesto using not just free stinging nettles, but the cheapest nuts I could find! I think pine nuts could give it a better flavor, so if you’re flush, go for it! Buuuut… if you’re trying to save on money, try walnuts!

Oh, and for more money-saving – try grana padano cheese instead of parmesan. It’s cheaper but still awesome!

To harvest the nettles, make sure to pick ones that aren’t right beside a busy path (dog pee et al) and only pick the top 4-6 leaves. The younger ones are best. And obviously, wear proper gloves, like gardening ones!

As for that stinging part? Well, it goes away once the nettles have been subjected to heat! So all you need to do to make them safe to eat and touch is to blanch in boiling water. After that, they are totally safe!

Once you have your inexpensive nettle pesto all made up, you can store it in a mason jar! Just make sure to top it with a layer of olive oil to keep it fresh.

As for what to use it for? Well, pretty much anything! Swirl some into tomato soup, use it on pasta, or do what I did – make an awesome caprese salad with it!