Quick and Easy Garlic Scape Pesto

Before I share with you my garlic scape pesto recipe, let me begin with a story.

When I was in university, a friend of mine and I were deep in conversation one night, discussing everything from written works like The Iliad and Beowulf to the art work of Kandinsky, Dali, Cézanne and van Rijn.  Oh! To be young and full of thoughts and ideas bursting to be heard.  Conversations just seemed to organically extend from one topic to the next.  The conversation eventually focused on what many conversations seem to naturally gravitate toward.

Food.

“If you had to choose one of these to live without, which would it be?  Garlic or onion?”

I replied with, “I could not live without garlic. I would have to forego onion if absolutely necessary.”

Years later, when I was teaching in Japan, I was having a few pints after work with fellow teachers.  A colleague from England said, “Garlic is to food as insanity is to art”.

His statement, though said in passing, has been ingrained in my memory.  Garlic really is something I cannot live without.

I love garlic.

Over the past few years, I’ve found something I may love even more than garlic.

Garlic scapes.

What is a garlic scape?

A garlic scape is the stalk of the garlic plant.  Garlic scapes are removed so that the plants can focus all their energy into the garlic bulb.  Garlic scapes are edible and flavourful.  In fact, they are so full of flavour that you can use them the same way you would green onion. Garlic scapes are not only edible and delicious, but also beautiful as they cascade and curl in your garden.

I usually just sauté our garlic scapes and serve as a side dish along with other in-season, local (from our farm) vegetables.  Garlic scapres are also great sautéed in am Asian style stir-fry with beef or chicken and other vegetables.  Another thing I love to do with garlic scapes is make garlic scape pesto!

I recently posted on Facebook and received many curious questions about garlic scapes.  What do they taste like? What are they like?  In essence, they sort of have the texture of a firm green bean and the flavour of garlic.

Super Quick and Easy Garlic Scape Pesto

My pesto recipe with garlic scapes is super easy and simple.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 good sized garlic scapes (chopped so they’re easier to blend in your blender)
• 3/4 c olive oil
• 1/2 c grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Asiago…or both
• Herbamare & black pepper to taste
• **You could add pine nuts, but I have a lot of friends with nut allergies, so I just don’t use them.

Instructions:

• Add ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Drizzle olive oil and season with Herbamare and pepper.

See?  Super easy and super quick garlic scape pesto!  Serve with pasta as you would with pesto made with basil.  The garlic scape pesto is so intoxicating! I serve it with spaghettini and roasted grape or cherry tomatoes. You can grill some asparagus to accompany or serve garlic scape pesto pasta with grilled chicken.

Isn’t it interesting how a particular fragrance or scent can transport you back to a particular time of your life?  Ahhh…The Persistence of Memory.