Creamy Pea Crostini With Pancetta Recipe

Aren’t these pea crostini the most beautiful color? I had a hard time coming up with a description that accurately describes this beautiful color. This bright, vibrant green certainly isn’t what pops into your head when you hear “pea green.” Anyways, these creamy pea crostini are a gorgeous green color and are almost too beautiful to eat. Even better, these appetizers taste as good as they look! You’ll love the subtle flavors of fresh mint, chives, and lemon zest. The salty bite of pancetta and parmesan are a perfect contrast to the naturally sweet, creamy pea spread. Peas on bread? Sounds unlikely to you? Surprise! The fresh flavor of these creamy pea crostini will totally win you over. And is this only a spring time recipe? Definitely not! Don’t we all need a bright pop of green on those gray winter days? I know I do! For a quick pick-me-up, I often make roasted sugar snap peas. They’re a “snap” to make and just hit the spot when you’re craving something green.

About this Creamy Pea Crostini

Creamy pea crostini are not at all difficult to make. Begin with toasted bread slices, called crostini. Check out how to make crostini. To begin, you’ll fry eight ounces of pancetta and put it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Shred an ounce or two of Parmesan. To thaw the frozen peas, just place them in a colander in the sink and run warm water over them for a few minutes. To make the spread, combine the thawed peas, a little heavy cream, fresh mint, and chives in a mini food processor, and puree until nice and smooth. Stir in a little lemon zest and salt to taste. Spread this mixture on the prepared crostini, top with a sprinkling of crumbled fried pancetta and parmesan, and serve immediately.

Make it your own

I like the fresh mint and chive combination. You could increase/decrease the amount of herbs or add a different herb. Tarragon would be good, as would parsley, or use basil for a more pesto type flavor. You could substitute scallions or green onions for the chives, but making this substitution will amp up the onion flavor a bit. I wouldn’t recommend using canned peas. They just don’t have the fresh color and taste that frozen peas have. Fresh shelled peas would be good, though. Switch up the garnish. Pea shoots/sprouts would be fantastic or even alfalfa sprouts, for a vegetarian pea crostini. Chopped chives or parsley would be a pretty garnish. Or use bacon bits instead of pancetta, or crumbled blue cheese, gorgonzola, or feta. A sprinkle of paprika would be good, too. Use the creamy pea spread as a dip for crackers or vegetables. Delicious!

Make Ahead Tips

To get a head start on preparing these creamy pea crostini, you could fry the pancetta, and store in an airtight container up to a couple days in the refrigerator, or a month in the freezer. The toasted bread slices (crostini) can be prepared a couple of days in advance. If you want, prepare the pea puree a day ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Stir well before spreading it on the crostini.