Sweet Pea & Pine Nut Sauce

1 C raw pine nuts
1 C fresh or frozen sweet peas
1 C filtered water
salt

If you’re using frozen peas, heat the water to a simmer. Combine everything in a blender and pulverize until smooth. Season to taste.

The simplest things can be most effective in the kitchen. This sauce of essentially two ingredients is a wonderful surprise. Recipes are like sentences. They are rarely original – and beautifully so – they often repeat the same sentiments or accentuate the same flavors over and over in different forms, reflecting nature. That said, I’ve never seen this sauce served or written about anywhere, ever, except Mandarava.  

When you sauce a pasta, you may find more salt makes the dish tasty; it’s fine to add a bit in the moment before serving. This sauce is also delicious as a salad dressing or dip. It’s at once rich and bright, creamy and light.