Garlic scapes. You see them everywhere at farmers' markets this time of year. But what do you do with them? Around here, we make pesto. Specifically, Ian Knauer's pistachio-laced garlic scape pesto from his beautiful cookbook The Farm. I don't own it, but my mom does, and for a while it sat on her coffee table. This recipe caught my eye right away—it's simple, and it does great things with a hard to use ingredient.
GARLIC SCAPE PESTO
We use this as a spread on bread, rubbed onto a whole chicken, or tossed over pasta. It will keep for about a week in the fridge, and you can also freeze it if you want to have some on hand for the winter.
10 large garlic scapes
1/3 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
fine grain sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Puree the garlic scapes, pistachios, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor. Keep pureeing until the scapes and nuts are finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
2 comments :
Thanks for posting. I have not tried scape pesto with pistachios! Sounds wonderful.
Garlic scapes are a favorite of mine- they are truly double the fun because when you take the scapes you are helping the garlic grow too. Heidi Swanson has a garlic scape soup in her Super Natural Cooking- it is simple and delicious. From what I remember a couple dozen scapes sauteed in butter, add potatoes and broth- cook until potatoes are soft and add spinach. I used an immersion blender and then she recommends mixing in lemon juice and a bit of cream if you like. Salt & pepper. Great cold too!
Yum! Sara that sounds so good. I always love Heidi's recipes, so I'll have to check it out. The pesto is delicious on all kinds of things. As one man I spoke with said, "Anything but breakfast cereal." That's a true garlic lover!
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