Garlic Scape Pesto

Do not make this, eat this, smell this or come anywhere near this stuff if you don't like garlic.  I'm not kidding.

I had scapes for the first time last year and I used them to make this pesto so when I saw them in the store this year I knew I needed to make it again.

Scapes are the stalks of the garlic plant that grow out of the bulb.  They look like a green onion but are kind of curly.  If you smell them they smell like garlic and if you eat them they taste like garlic and I love garlic so I'm definitely into these little buddies. It seems that scapes have a pretty short season that arrives around June so if you see them, buy them.  You can figure out what to do with them later.

Pesto is probably the most popular thing to do with scapes.  This one is a combination of scapes, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  I like this combination because you can really taste the scapes.  Which means it's like eating garlic. I'm being very serious when I tell you that this stuff is super strong so use it sparingly.

It couldn't be much easier to make the pesto... you just throw all this stuff in a food processor and blend it up.  The hardest part is cleaning the food processor when you're done.  I hate cleaning the food processor because I don't want to put the base of it away until I can put the whole thing away (it's up on a high shelf in my kitchen which means I have to get out the step ladder and I'm lazy so I refuse to do this more than once) and if the bowl and blade are in the dishwasher I have to wait at least a day to put it away so the base sits on my counter which annoys me.

Last year when I made this, I used it as a sauce on pasta (adding a little bit at a time to get the level of flavor I wanted and incorporating some pasta water to make it smooth).  This time I used it as a condiment to a grilled flat iron steak, kind of like you would do with a chimicurri sauce.  It was a pretty awesome combination and really freshened up the flavor of the steak.

P.S. - this stuff freezes really well so you can make a bunch (like I did), serve it with your steak (like I did) and freeze the rest to serve on pasta later (like I will).  You know you want to be just like me.


Garlic Scape Pesto
Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients
10 oz Garlic Scapes, cut into 2" pieces
3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
5 T Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper


Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Serve as a condiment on grilled beef or pork or as a sauce on pasta.  For the pasta, you may need to thin it out with a few tablespoons of pasta water.

Enjoy!
Julie