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Pea, mint and tahini dip

With summer on its way and only finding stolen moments in the kitchen as babe time continues to take precedence, I find that easy, vibrant dips and salsas are a great way to keep energy and nutrient levels up with minimum fuss and maximum potential. Also, they make a good excuse for a thin, crunchy corn chip, of which our household is rather fond (blue or white, we worship both).

I was therefore more than happy to be invited to create a little green summer something for John Lewis in their Vitamix Pro – as part of a campaign to show there’s more to using blenders than just smoothies. I use mine for everything, from face masks and soups to hummus and hot chocolate, and in fact we do not yet own a food processor – I wrote my whole book without one and am still not sure how I did.

This pea, mint and tahini dip is a welcome change from hummus, packing in a good amount of plant-based protein, along with calcium-rich tahini, zingy lemon and warming garlic and cumin. To me, it encapsulates the flavours of summer and makes a bright and easy healthy side for al fresco lunches, barbecues, nacho crisp snack attacks, or just added to a baked sweet potato or some roast veggies and quinoa.

For maximum flavour, fresh peas are ideal, but frozen petits pois work just as well.

Makes one small bowl

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh peas or frozen petits pois
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
zest 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cumin
one small garlic clove (or half a large one)
salt and pepper to season
Blanche your peas in some boiling water for a couple of minutes before running under cold water, draining and setting aside.
On a chopping board, roughly chop your garlic and sprinkle a little salt on it. With the blade of a large knife, start to press down on it and slowly squash it until it becomes a puree. (The salt softens it, and it will be better dispersed in the dip, since you will only be pulsing it in the blender).
Add all the ingredients except salt and pepper into the blender and pulse gently until a chunky mixture forms. Taste and season – you may like to add more cumin or garlic if you prefer a stronger flavour. More tahini will result in a creamier dip.
Transfer to a bowl, garnish with a little salt, pepper, lemon zest and mint leaves, and serve cold or at room temperature.
Keep covered in the fridge for up to three days.
Created in collaboration with John Lewis

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