courtesy of
Ian Knauer, from the book,The Farm:Rustic Recipes for a YearGarlic scapes are the soft, lime-green-colored stems and unopened flower buds of hard-neck garlic varieties. Scapes have a mild garlic flavor and a slight sweetness, which makes them a prized addition in the kitchen.
The Pesto can be used on pasta or crostini or a dip for crunchy vegetables!
Ingredients10 large garlic scapes
1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
large handful of flat leaf parsley
Kosher or other crunchy salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
the juice of 1/2 of lemon
1 pound spaghetti
Method- Make the pesto: Puree the garlic scapes, parsley, pistachios, lemon juice, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor until very finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil through the opening. Add a tiny bit of water to thin it out a bit. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. (The pesto keeps in the fridge, covered, for 1 week or frozen for a month.)
- In a large pot of heavily salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta-cooking water, then drain the pasta. Whisk together 2/3 cup of the pesto and the reserved pasta water and toss with the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve right away.
