Springtime Pea and Mint Dip or Spread

The hardest part of this instructable was pausing to take pictures. Otherwise, it would have taken about two minutes to whip up.

You'll need:

About 1 cup of ricotta cheese. I've used both homemade and store-bought, and either works great.

1/4 cup of loosely packed, fresh mint leaves.

3-4 cups fresh pea shoots. This is the main flavor of the dip, so the "fresh" part is really important! You've got to have bright, flavor-packed shoots. In fact, I recommend growing your own, so you can harvest it right before it goes in the dip. Pea shoots are just little baby pea plants, and they can be grown is as little as fourteen days. They're cheap and easy to grow, and fit in small spaces. Check out my instructable on growing them here.

Salt, to taste. I used about a teaspoon.

Put all the ingredients into a food processor. I think it goes faster with the pea shoots on the bottom, but it doesn't really matter. Let the blades do their thing for about thirty seconds, or until well-combined.

This goes great with any manner of chips, or wedges of foccacia, or pita bread. It makes a lovely breakfast or afternoon snack. It's a refreshing sandwich spread, especially with a ham sandwich. And it's on my to-do list to add some eggs to this and try it as a filling for homemade ravioli.

I've no idea how long this might last in the refrigerator, but I'd guess about a week. We've never had it last longer than three days.