From Emily in the Gallery~
On another one of my quests to try something new in the kitchen, I found myself at the
Hutchinson Farmers Market, where one of the vendors was demoing ‘garlic scape pesto’ using garlic scapes from their farm. I was immediately intrigued and tried a sample, looked at the recipe, bought a bunch and peddled my way home excited to try my hand at something new.
What are garlic scapes you may be wondering? Well, garlic scapes are the long, thin, vibrant green stalks that shoot out of the top of hardneck garlic plant with a flower bulb on the end. They have a milder garlic flavor then the bulb produces, and can be used similar to scallions. You can typically find these at farmers markets in the spring/summer time. They are milder then the garlic bulb, and a delight to add to a dish. You can find more information here.
I did my own twist on the recipe below, and didn’t measure and cut exact, but that’s the beauty of cooking, right? I also sautéed my garlic scapes slightly, because I read not only does it tames the ‘spicy’ factor, but also brings out a sweetness.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup garlic scapes
1 cup packed fresh basil
1 cup packed kale
1 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup rough cut cashews (insert any nut here)
1/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
a splash of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Wash the basil, kale and garlic scapes. Cut basil and kale into strips. Remove the flower bulb of the
garlic scape and cut garlic scapes into 1-2″ pieces.
Add to oiled skillet. As pictured here I used the flameware small skillet Saute on med until slightly tender and charred, about 7 mins.
Add garlic scapes, basil, kale, nuts, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until mostly smooth.
While food processor is running, slowly add rest of the oil to emulsify all the ingredients. Scrape down the sides as needed.
Put into airtight container and enjoy! This recipe made roughly 2 cups. FYI If you want more of a garlicky punch, do not cook your garlic scapes before hand.
I added it to our chicken alfredo that evening with asparagus dish and it was amazing!
Other options for pesto use:
- Dip veggies
- Sandwich spread
- Pasta dish ingredient
- Pizza topping
- Breakfast ingredient
- Salad dressing add in
Enjoy 🙂
Pottery Featured in this Recipe:
- Flameware Small Skillet
- Optional Pottery Options
- Flameware Cazuela
- Flameware Grill Basket
Want more inspiration? Check out more posts on our blog here to see how we use our pots, our Pinterest page here for more recipes and ideas, and follow us on Instagram here to stay up to date!
