if you’re an early season farmer’s market goer in the northeast, there’s a fair chance you’ve seen garlic scapes in the last few years. what are they? basically the immature flower stem of the garlic plant. they taste like a slightly less harsh, greener version of bulb garlic. they look a little daunting to work with-long, curly, with an unopened flower head. but once you start using them you’ll lament the 11 months out of the year that you can’t get them. yes, friends, these unexpectedly delicious gems are pretty much only available for the month of June. and good news for anyone who can’t get to a farmer’s market-they’re popping up in Whole Foods here and there.
Garlic Scape Pesto
ingredients-
1 lb garlic scapes, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup nuts (i use pistachios but walnuts and pine nuts work equally well)
1/2-1 cup olive oil
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes, optional
cut off the flower head and end of all the scapes. you might want to use scissors for this, it will make your life easier. cut them into roughly 1 inch pieces and toss into your food processor (or blender if you don’t have a processor…or chop it all by hand if you’re really hardcore). pulse them a few times to get them broken down a bit. add the nuts and pulse some more. turn the processor on and slowly start adding the olive oil until you have the consistency you want. add the parmesan, salt, pepper and hot pepper to taste and process another few seconds to mix.
serve this stuff however you want. things i like to use it for: pasta topping, on toast for garlic bread, spread on grilled cheese, as a dip with pita chips…and i’m still finding new things to do with it. let me know if you come up with anything genius!
(originally posted june 2011)
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