Recipe: Garlic scape pesto

by Kevin Sharp

We live in an age when pretty much anything fruit or vegetable is available at any time of the year. There are still a few exceptions and garlic scapes are just that. Available for just a brief window of time, you will see them for a couple of weeks mid-to-late June through very early July in farm markets and in specialty shops that focus on local foods.

If you are unfamiliar, garlic scapes (or just “scapes”) are the flower stem and bud of the garlic plant. Growers remove them before the bud opens so the plant puts more energy into forming the garlic bulb. The flavor is distinctly garlicky and pungent but also bright and fresh.

One of the most common uses for scapes is pesto but they can be used in pretty much any way you would use garlic: stir fries and omelettes, grilled or sautéed over steak, and I’ve put them on pizza and focaccia. If you are going the pesto route, now is the season to make a large batch and freeze for use throughout the year.

Use the pesto on grilled meats, pizza, and pasta or swirl it into soups and stews, any way you would use basil pesto.

This recipe is pretty straightforward. Some call for blanching the scapes first to tone down the “rawness” of the garlic flavor though I have never found that necessary. Take this recipe and play with it, though. You can blend fresh basil with the scapes or try different nuts and cheeses. I’ve made a good robust version with Pecorino Romano and toasted black walnuts.

Garlic scape pesto

– About a dozen fresh garlic scapes, rinsed, patted dry, and the bud end and any woody stem end trimmed and discarded
– 1/3c (48g) pine nuts
– Scant 1/2c (24g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or Gran Padano)
– 1/2c (75ml) extra-virgin olive oil (more or less to taste)
– Juice of 1/2 a small lemon
– Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pine nuts on a small tray or sheet pan and toast for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes or just until they’ve begun to turn a golden brown. Watch carefully as pine nuts go from toasted to burnt and bitter in the blink of an eye.

Roughly chop the scapes and place them with the pine nuts, cheese, lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times, scraping down the sides with a spatula, until broken down and incorporated. The idea at this point is not to purée but rather to maintain some texture still. Next, with the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, stopping just shy of the 1/2 cup (scraping down the sides as needed).

From here, it’s a matter of personal preference. If you want it a little looser, drizzle more olive oil; smoother, process longer. Give it a taste and adjust any of the elements to your liking. Either use within a few days or portion it into small containers and freeze for later.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.