Farm to Table with Scapes

Garlic scapes...another vegetable I hadn't heard of before picking up our farm share. After some reading it looks like they are the flower stems that garlic plants produce before the bulbs mature. Growers often remove the scapes to push the plant’s energy toward bigger bulbs, but when harvested while they are young the scapes are delicious. And it turns out they are.

I made mine into a pesto, which I put on wheat pasta with tomatoes and broccoli.

 

Garlic Scape Pesto

Adapted from Serious Eats

3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon salt

A few generous grinds of black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Combine the scapes, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse about 20 times until fairly well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the tube while the motor is running. When the oil is incorporated, transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese. If you plan to freeze the pesto, wait to add the cheese until after you've defrosted it.