This past weekend we used the recipe below to make a garlic scape pesto using The Garden School’s own fresh basil and scapes.
Garlic scapes are the flower bud of the plant, and they’ve been removed while the bulbs are still growing so that our bulbs can develop to their fullest potential!
Tips: We say double the basil (to balance the garlic flavor from those scapes) and don’t omit the lemon juice (we did on the first batch and there is a noticeable difference). Great topping for burgers, chicken, fish, pasta, and veggies (like zucchini).
We still have basil and scapes (and zucchini) at the farm stand this week if you’d like to try some out.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015301-garlic-scape-pesto
Garlic Scape Pesto
By Jeff Schwarz And Greg Kessler
From Cooking | The New York Times
INGREDIENTS
1 cup garlic scapes, sliced
crosswise (about 10 to 12 scapes)
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup basil leaves
Juice of one lemon
PREPARATION
Step 1
Place the garlic scapes in a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds.
Step 2
Add the sunflower seeds and pulse for 30 seconds. Scrape down the
sides of the bowl.
Step 3
Add the olive oil and process on high for 15 seconds.
Step 4
Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse until the ingredients are
combined.
Step 5
Add the basil and lemon juice, and process until reaching the desired
consistency.
Step 6
Add salt to taste and serve immediately.