Ingredients
1½cupsarborio/short grain brown riceor any other variety of brown rice
2cupsfresh peasfrom approximately 1 ½ lb peas in pods or a 10-ounce package frozen peas
2clovesgarlicsmall, coarsely chopped
⅓cupraw cashews
⅓cupParmesangrated
2tbspmint leavespacked (more to taste)
½lemonuiced (more to taste)
½tspsea salt
⅓cupolive oil
½cupreserved riceor pasta cooking water, or plain water if necessary
6pcsradishesend removed and sliced into super thin rounds
Preparation
Bring a big pot of water to a boil, dump in rinsed brown rice and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup cooking water for the pesto as you drain the rice. Return the rice to the pot and cover. Let the rice steam in the pot for 10 minutes.
Bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add peas and cook for 2 minutes (they should be tender to the bite but retain a bit of structure). Drain peas and let them cool down for a few minutes.
Set aside about ½ cup of your cooked peas.
Whirl the remaining peas in a food processor with garlic, cashews, Parmesan, mint, lemon juice and salt until smooth, (about 2 to 3 minutes), scraping down the bowl as necessary.
While the machine is running, drizzle in the olive oil. Taste, and add more mint, lemon juice and/or salt if desired.
The pesto will be very thick, so stir in up to ½ cup cooking water to thin it out if you are tossing the pesto with rice (or pasta).
Mix the pesto into the cooked brown rice and season with salt to taste.
Stir in the leftover peas and the sliced radishes. Sprinkle more grated Parmesan cheese over the dish if desired.
Serve warm.
