Guest Post ... Siri of SIRIously Delicious

by Siri, SIRIously delicious

Two of my favorite springtime ingredients are radishes and peas. Their colors alone signify growing leaves and budding flowers. I also enjoy taking a step back from my kitchen as the weather warms and the days grow longer, and this is the perfect snack/lunch/appetizer to help you do just that. Quick, simple, fresh and bright. And you're almost always left with pea pesto to make a pasta salad with the next day.

*Note: you could use fresh pea tendrils for the crostini, but did you hear that part about stepping back from the kitchen and keeping things quick and simple? Yeah.

Pea Pesto Crostini (Slightly adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

10 oz. frozen peas

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

1 baguette (half for pea pesto crostinis and half for radish sandwiches), sliced thinly

Boil a pot of water, and at the same time, prepare a bowl of ice water. Place frozen peas in pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Drain. To stop cooking, place drained peas in bowl of ice water. Drain again. Place in blender or food processor. Add garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan and salt and pepper. Pulse or blend until pesto begins to form. Slowly add olive oil and pulse or blend until smooth. Set aside.

Brush both sides of sliced baguette with olive oil. On a hot pan or griddle, toast both sides until golden. Smear with pea pesto. Serve warm or cold, perfect either way!

Open-Faced Radish Sandwich

1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced

Softened butter, salted or unsalted

Sea salt, coarse or flaked (adjust salt depending on if you're butter is salted or not)

Sliced baguette

Butter one side of sliced baguette. Top with radish slices, as many or little as you like. Top with flaked or coarse sea salt.

*If you don't think this is going to be amazing, you're wrong. Something about how the spicy, crisp radish pairs with the smooth, creamy butter on top of soft bread with the sea salt bringing out all the flavors is DIVINE. Enjoy! –– Siri