This recipe is not mine but it's an absolute winner so I'm going to share it.
I put the girls to work in the garden yesterday. It was time to harvest the garlic scapes and it's a must that they participate in all aspects of growing, harvesting and preparing food from the garden.
And it's always so much fun!
The original recipe is for a Pasta with Garlic Scape Pesto and that's what I made.. I used Maria's Green Pea & Kale Pasta and added fresh farmers market peas to finish it off.
I am going to whip up another batch to throw in the freezer because it's just so good and garlic scapes fall out of season oh so quickly. It can be stored in the fridge for about a week and in the freezer for up to three months. Use it to add flavour garnish to meats, steamed or roasted veggies, sandwiches, and of course, on top of your favourite pasta.
I just trimmed the woody stalks off of the scapes and used the softer, curly ends with the flower attached. I'm going to ferment those woody ends and make a beautiful, garlicky brine and *hopefully* end up with softer, flavourful fermented scapes to use in salads and stir-fries. I shall keep you posted!
Garlic Scape Pesto
Adapted from "Pasta With Garlic Scape Pesto" by Ian Knaur
From his cookbook "The Farm" & Posted to Epicurious.com
- About 10 - 15 garlic scapes, trimmed (if they are rather large, or you are able to use a larger portion of your scape, stick with 10)
- 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (use nutritional yeast to make this recipe vegan)
- 1/3 cup olive or avocado oil
- Pinch of sea salt & cracked pepper
- Combine the scapes, pistachios and parmesan in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Add the salt & pepper and pulse once more.
- Drizzle in the olive oil with the processor on.
- If you're making pasta, cook according to package directions and reserve about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the pasta water. Slowly (and just a little at a time) combine the water with your desired amount of pesto, whisking and tasting as you go (I found that I needed less water than the original recipe suggested). Stir the pesto into the pasta. If you're using fresh peas, stir them in now and serve right away!
- If you're not making pasta, keep in mind that a small amount goes a long way. Smudge some onto a piece of grilled chicken, lightly spread some on bread or top a teaspoon or two on some lovely roasted or steamed veggies.
Enjoy!
