Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic Scape Pesto

Warning:  For garlic lovers only...all others beware the deliciousness!!!

It's garlic scape season again!!!!!!  Run, don't walk, to your nearest farmer's market and pick up some of these green beauties while you can, because their season is very short, too short, only 2 - 3 weeks in duration short.  I get a bit freakishly excited when I see garlic scapes at the market.  For example, my friend texted me that she picked up some garlic scapes and my reaction was 'Jealous!'  I've been known to buy armloads at at time, then go back for another bunch, then talk about it to whoever will listen.

Garlic Scapes !

Garlic scapes are one of the best kept secrets in the world of produce, and I'm here to out them.  The garlic scape is the long, bright green, usually curly stem that grows out of the garlic at the plant's maturity.  The closest thing that they resemble visually is a green onion, but they are hard to the touch unlike the soft green onion, with the stiffness of the stem of a daisy.  Their season is very short, from late June to early July (where I live anyway), and they can typically only be found at your local farmer's market.  Garlic scapes range in price from $1 to $2.50 a bunch - cheap, cheap, cheap - so get out there and support your local farmers.  They taste is exactly like garlic to me, which since I'm like very into garlic, works for me.

Garlic Scape Medusa!

Homemade pesto is my favourite way to use garlic scapes, and once you have the pesto made, you can use it just like you would any other pesto.  For example, use it as a pasta sauce, as a topping for salmon, mixed into scrambled eggs, as a sandwich spread, in risotto, in hummus, and the list goes on.  I really need to do that risotto one, like soon, now that I mention it.  I have also seen recipes for using garlic scapes themselves in omelettes or simply as a side vegetable.  They are sort of like a garlic vegetable, if that makes sense to you like it does in my head.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic Scape Pesto Pasta

Garlic Scape Pesto Salmon

Garlic Scape Pesto Salmon Pasta...aren't I smart!?!!

This pesto takes five minutes to make - that's it!  I always make a double or triple batch so that I can freeze a batch or two to be used later on when garlic scape season is over (which is most of the year... sigh!!!).   We threw it over pasta for dinner tonight, and The Hubby's review was, "this is so, so, so, so, so, so good," so I think he thought it was good!  Hope you do too.

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Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup thinly sliced garlic scapes (Note:  before slicing, discard everything past and including the bloom, which looks like the bulgy part, slicing up just the hard stems)
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions
Put sliced garlic scapes into a food processor, and puree for about 10 seconds until finely minced.

Sliced garlic scapes before food processor attacks

Add remaining ingredients, and puree until smooth.  Serve as a pasta sauce, baked on top of salmon, or any other way that you normally use pesto.  Use or freeze within a week.