I tried to recreate something that my friend Lara brought to our wine group. It was a hummus-like substance made with peas and loads of fresh mint. I’m not the hottest with recipe forensics so she’s free to comment on my attempt. It was not as good as hers. But, working off my hummus knowledge, I just tried chucking stuff in the bowl and blending it until it tasted good.

Happy Joy Pea Mint Spread

2 cups frozen peas, liquidreserved
1/3 to 1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 TBL good EVOO
1/4 cup lemon juice (or less)
3 cloves minced garlic (roasted first, if you want)
2+ TBL fresh mint, chopped
Salt and pepper, of course

  Blanch the peas. (Fresh is always better, if you can find them.) Use a wooden spoon to pop as many of the peas as possible, but save the water. I use a colander with a bowl under it. You should have 1/4 cup of water almost. Do this or you have runny peas instead of mushy peas.

  With a hand blender, puree the deflated peas, yogurt(start with 1/3 cup), olive oil, lemon juice, mint, and garlic until smooth. Add water for consistancy and/or lemon juice and yogurt if needed. It’s up to you. Season with salt and pepper.

  It should be a fresh, sweet, green flavor explosion. I like it when it’s thicker than your average hummus and holds it shape. But this is one of those recipes, like mashed potatoes, where every ingredient could be more or less.

  Makes about 3 cups.

  Prosecco would be the ideal wine with this–fresh ,bubbly, and not too dry. Some of my favorites are Col Vetorez, Mionetto’s Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, or my absolute fav Nino Franco’s "Rustico." Not to get to crafty, but I make simple syrup with fresh mint in the summer for no hassle mojitos that is also good in Prosecco.

  Amity Vineyards Estate Riesling (website HERE) — This bottle from Myron Redford, one of Oregon’s more adorable producers, is soooo strange. In an Uma Thurman kinda way–which is good. At Pinot Camp last month, it was one of the wines I remembered most–out of all the single vineyard, library releases, and tres $$$ bottles I did drink. It smelled to me like celery, lemon verbena(one of my top 10 smells) and tomatillos. But pretty, not grassy or herbacious and almost dry. Try to look past the quilting bee label. I’d serve this wine with any fresh herb-dominated dish or a particularly sheepy pecorino. Or try a sweet, softer Pecorino Sardo from Sardinia.