Garlic Scape Pesto
In early June, when the asparagus in the garden thin to the width of a pencil, their season has come to an end. As they fade until next year, new fruits and vegetables arise. The strawberries appear, bright red, juicy and delicious, ready to be plucked and top my morning granola, make a fine dessert, or eat right out of the garden as a reward for hard work. Snow peas and sugar snap peas hang from their vines like ornaments on a Christmas tree, sweetening in the morning sun. And hardneck garlic plants, sowed in the ground last fall as individual cloves, grow long, spindly scapes, curled stalks with flower buds at the end.
The scapes must be cut so that the plants put their energy into fattening the underground bulb for July harvest, rather than trying to flower and make seeds that are no longer viable. Luckily, cutting the scapes gives the gardener a seasonal treat that is hard to find in supermarkets and even many farmers markets.
Harvested when they are still tender, the scapes are unmistakably garlicky, with a slight vegetal taste, less pungent than the cloves we are used to eating. The scapes can be grilled, sautéed, pickled, or chopped raw to add to a salad. I’ve read for years about people making garlic scape pesto, and this year was the time for me to try.
There are as many ways to make garlic scape pesto as there are cooks in the kitchen and gardeners in the yard. I’ve seen recipes with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or pistachios in place of pine nuts. Lots of people add a bit of lemon juice to liven it up with an acidic bite. Sometimes the scapes are sautéed first to mellow out their flavor even more and soften them up for easier pureeing. Many recipes forgo the basil entirely, leaving the garlic scapes as the star. I opted to modify my traditional basil pesto recipe by simply substituting quickly sautéed garlic scapes for cloves of garlic. While definitely lacking the garlic clove punch of my usual pesto, the results were creamy and delicious over homemade pasta.
Garlic scapes are only available in the garden for a few weeks each year. And every year when they are in season I will be sure to make at least one batch of garlic scape pesto.
Garlic Scape Pesto
Makes about ¾ cup pesto (enough for 1 lb. of pasta), about ½ hour
⅜ cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup roughly chopped garlic scapes, about 10 scapes, flower bud removed and discarded
2 cups fresh basil
¾ tsp. salt, plus more for pasta water
2 Tbsp. pine nuts
2 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
1 lb. pasta
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 10-inch skillet on medium. Add the chopped garlic scapes and sauté for a minute or two until they just start to soften but not brown. Set aside to cool.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over a high heat for the pasta.
- Add the garlic scapes, basil, salt, pine nuts, and remaining olive oil to a food processor, and puree into a smooth paste, drizzling in more olive oil one tablespoon at a time, if needed. Transfer to a bowl large enough to hold a pound of cooked pasta and set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- When the pasta is almost ready, add the butter and cheese into the pesto and mix well. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the hot, starchy pasta water to the pesto one at a time, and stir in to melt the butter and cheese to make a creamy sauce.
- Drain the pasta and mix into the pesto so the sauce fully coats the pasta. Divide among plates and serve with extra cheese grated on top.
