Pea pesto bruschetta

PREP + COOK TIME 30 MINUTES SERVES 4

FIVE INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup (35g) walnuts

500g frozen peas

80g manchego cheese (see Swap It, below) 2 cloves garlic

1 loaf sourdough bread (630g)

STAPLES extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 Preheat oven to 150°C/130°C fan.

2 Roast walnuts on a small oven tray for 8 minutes or until golden. Cool. Coarsely chop nuts; reserve 2 tablespoons to serve.

3 Meanwhile, add peas to a saucepan of salted boiling water; return to the boil, then cook for 1½ minutes or until peas are tender. Drain. Refresh peas in a bowl of iced water; drain.

4 Place 1/3 cup of the peas in a small bowl; drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, then season. Reserve to serve. Finely grate cheese.

5 Process remaining peas with chopped walnuts, garlic, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and the vinegar until smooth. Season to taste. Transfer mixture to a bowl; add ½ cup grated cheese, stir into a thick spread.

6 Preheat a chargrill plate or pan over medium heat. Cut sourdough into eight 2cm thick slices (keep remaining bread for another use). Drizzle bread slices with a little more oil on both sides; cook on chargrill plate for 1½ minutes each side or until grill marks appear.

7 Spread pea pesto on toasted bread; top with reserved peas and reserved walnuts. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and season.

Process leftover bread into breadcrumbs; freeze in zip-top bags for up to 2 months.

SWAP IT Manchego is a hard Spanish sheep milk cheese; use parmesan or pecorino instead.