I'm Back!

Yes!  Clarion River Organics is back which means my blog - Cooking With Clarion River Organics - is back too! 

First CRO pickup!

Thursday was a happy and sad day.  Happy that it was the first day of the Clarion River Organics produce delivery!  Sad that my dancing daughter left town and I won't see her for 8 weeks.  Happy that she is performing with a ministry group called "Shining Light" presenting the gospel message through musical theatre in prisons throughout the North East!  Sad that she won't be here to go to the strawberry picking festival with me that we so enjoyed last year.  Happy that I got all these luscious vegetables!  Sad she won't be here to help us eat them.

But that is way off topic.  So for a first meal with CRO's initial offering I decided to do a pesto. I liked the idea Katie Schwarz gave us in the newsletter for kale pesto, but what I really wanted to try was a mint pesto.  Mint is a strong and pungent herb and a little goes a long way.  I like it, but don't love it, so I can never use up even a tenth of what they give us or what I grow.  Then once upon a time I read an article about making all kinds of freaky pestos with different herbs and vegetables and I thought why not.  Pleasantly, I found that mint pesto, particularly with the inclusion of peas, has a much milder taste than the raw herb itself.    Now if you don't love mint, or you are just so tired of using it as an iced tea flavoring, you can easily use up your whole bunch of mint in a matter of minutes and have a delicious meal too.  Create a beautiful salad with the CRO salanova lettuce mix (love it!), radishes and chive blossoms and there you go.

1 heaping tbsp pesto per serving

Mint Pesto - Serves 4

1 lb pasta of choice (I like shells or rotini because there are nooks and crannies where the pesto can "hide")
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 bunch Clarion River Organics mint
1/2 cup walnuts (toasted or raw, your choice)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (use parmesan cheese if you like)
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil

Put a pot of water on to cook the pasta.  Meanwhile, rinse off all of your mint, pat dry, and remove all of the leaves from the thick stems.  When pasta water is boiling cook pasta according to package directions.  Add remaining ingredients to a blender or food processor in the order listed.  Blend/Process until somewhat smooth but still grainy.  Place one heaping tablespoon (and I do mean heaping -see photo) in a bowl.  Add pasta on top and stir to combine.  Serve at once.