Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe

Garlic scape pesto is a sauce made of garlic scapes, pine nuts, pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and olive oil. Using garlic scapes instead of traditional basil leaves adds a mild garlic flavor to the sauce. Traditionally, cooks made this Italian sauce with a mortar and pestle, but most modern pesto recipes call for a food processor.

In the springtime and early summer, you can find green, curly garlic scapes at the local farmers’ market. These come from the bulbs of hardneck garlic plants and have a mild taste similar to chives and scallions. Garlic scapes contain nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, and fiber.

Follow these tips to learn how to make homemade pesto right every time:

1. 1. Add a pinch of salt. Adding salt to the garlic scapes helps to break them down when blending.
2. 2. Add citrus. Though not a traditional pesto ingredient, lemon juice and/or zest can help brighten up a lackluster pesto.
3. 3. Experiment with greens. Use a combination of garlic scapes and basil to make a garlic scape-basil pesto.
4. 4. Make it vegan. To make this pesto vegan and gluten-free, substitute Parmesan with nutritional yeast and a couple of teaspoons of vegan yogurt or vegan ricotta to compensate for some of the fat usually provided by cheese.
5. 5. Play with texture. Depending on how you plan to serve the pesto, you can make it thick, thin, chunky, or smooth.
6. 6. Store leftover pesto in the fridge. Cover leftover pesto with a layer of olive oil and store in the refrigerator. For longer-term storage, freeze pesto in ice cube trays and cover with plastic wrap. (Pesto won’t retain its beautiful bright green color after defrosting.)
7. 7. Trim the garlic scapes. The bottom one to two inches of garlic scapes can be tough and woody. Similar to asparagus, there is a natural breaking point. Snap one or two by hand to find it, then measure the rest of the bunch against the test stalks and use a sharp knife to trim.
8. 8. Use raw nuts. Many recipes toast pine nuts to add a rich, roasted flavor to pesto, but leaving them raw is perfectly acceptable. Using raw pine nuts saves some time vis à vis toasting and cooling, and it also preserves their sweetness. You can also substitute cashews, pumpkin seeds, pecans, pistachios, or sunflower seeds for pine nuts if desired.

You can use garlic scape pesto as a sauce or a condiment. Consider the following ways to prepare and serve garlic scape pesto:

1. 1. Crostini: If you plan to enjoy garlic scape pesto on crostini (toasted baguette slices) or as a sandwich spread, make sure it’s on the thicker side so it spreads nicely but won’t drip over the edges of the crostini. Finish your pesto spread with shaved Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper for a simple, delicious appetizer. Alternatively, spread garlic scape pesto on a baguette or Italian loaf and bake until crispy to make flavorful garlic bread.
2. 2. Crudités: Purée the garlic scape pesto and serve it as a dip with a crudités platter (a tray of raw, cut vegetables), zucchini fries, or even pizza. Since the pesto has a bright allium flavor, it pairs well with sweeter vegetables, such as bell peppers and carrots.
3. 3. Pasta: Garlic scape pesto is a good alternative to traditional red sauce on pasta. It adds a distinct texture and flavor and adheres much better than a traditional marinara sauce to penne pasta and other types of pasta. Stir in a little pasta cooking water for a fast and creamy sauce. You can add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of red pepper flakes to complement the garlicky flavor in a garlic scape pesto pasta dish.
4. 4. Roasted vegetables: Use the pesto as a topping for roasted veggies and meats. Top grilled or roasted chicken breasts or vegetables like artichoke, zucchini, and cauliflower, with spoonfuls of garlic scape pesto to make a flavorful meal.
5. 5. Salad: Instead of dressing a pasta salad with mayonnaise or a vinegar-based dressing, substitute garlic scape pesto sauce to add a unique flavor and increase the veggie content. You can also try it in place of dressing on your favorite green salad.