Spring Onion Crostini With Pea Pesto, Parmesan and Pine Nuts

Advocate-tested recipe

Makes 12 to 15 crostinis. Recipe is by Helana Brigman.

For the pesto:

1 cup garden or sweet peas, cooke

1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded (not canned parmesan)

1 cup fresh sweet basil, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

1⁄3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup pistachios or pine nuts, chopped

For the crostini

1 wheat loaf or baguette

Baby spring red onions, sliced thinly where the red bulb meets the green stalk

Salt and pepper, for dusting

Olive oil, for dressing

1/4 cup pine nuts

1. Thaw and cook sweet peas according to package instructions, if using the frozen variation. If using the garden fresh variety, cook fresh peas in hot water until tender and sit for about 5 minutes removed from heat. Drain peas.

2. Add peas, parmesan, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and nuts to food processor and pulse to combine until creamy. Don’t worry about over-pulsing this mixture as a little bit of texture from the sweet peas is always a fabulous component.

3. Spread pesto mixture on bread and top with halved spring red onion bulbs and pine nuts. Dust crostinis in salt and pepper and a few drops of olive oil for each.