Garlic Scape Pesto

08. July 2008 Soups, Stocks + Sauces 0

This season’s prettiest produce is definitely the garlic scape. I’ve received eight stalks so far from my farm share this season. If it weren’t for the garlicky smell, I don’t think its identity would have been obvious to me.

Garlic scapes are the flower stalks that shoot up from the garlic bulb. They curl up when they’re long, but they’re usually cut off for the garlic bulbs to grow bigger. I’ve used them like minced garlic cloves and I’ve also sliced them thinly to add to breakfast omelets. Pesto, though, is the way to go if you want to use them before they dry up. After a couple of servings of this garlic scape pesto on toasted bread and on gnnochi, I returned the rest of it to the food processor and added fresh basil leaves to tone down the garlicky flavor.

Ingredients:
8 garlic scapes, chopped
a handful of pine nuts
1 cup Parmiggiano Reggiano, crumbled
lemon juice
olive oil
salt, pepper

1. Pulse garlic scapes, pine nuts and cheese in the food processor until puréed. Slowly drizzle a little bit of olive oil while pulsing. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Store in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.