Garlic Scape Pesto
Posted 6/12/2009 9:08am by Eugene Wyatt.
In botany, a scape is a flowering stem. The scape of garlic, Allium Sativum, begins to curl after having formed a bulbil that will soon flower. Scapes should be broken off to enhance the final underground growth of the bulb, or what we call the head, which we will harvest in early July when the cloves have fully and distinctly developed. Until then, cook with the whole plant, called green or spring garlic, using both the immature head and the green leaves.
A seasonal and local recipe:
1/4 pound peeled garlic scapes, finely chopped
3T fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
Use the curled, tender portion of the scapes & peel them. Put the peeled scapes and lemon juice in a food processor and chop finely. Add the olive oil to the mix and stir for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and stir for 2 minutes, then add the rest of the Parmesan along with salt and stir again.
I've caught up on most of this past and present website... you are a terrific writer and a great contributor to the greenmarket and such a great commentator on our culture today.. it was great to see a picture of the warwick swimming pool the place I used to swim in winter..
thanks again for your brilliance! love Holly