Charred Garlic Scape Pesto
If you’re getting weird, tangly bunches of green stems in your CSA box, or if you couldn’t resist grabbing a bunch or two at the farmers market, you are in for a treat. Garlic scapes are the tender shoots that emerge from hard-neck garlic varieties in early Summer, and let me tell you, they are a gift to your kitchen (and stomach). They have the unmistakable punch of garlic, but are more mild and pleasant — especially in recipes that would traditionally call for raw garlic.
Garlic scape pesto recipes are plentiful this time of year, but I always find myself missing regular old basil pesto. If I came into the possession of a large quantity of garlic scapes, I’d most likely opt for the grill before I blended them into a pesto. My goal here was to add some depth of flavor to a pesto that can otherwise be a little lackluster. Thus, Charred Garlic Scape Pesto was born, and it’s the perfect marriage of punchy grilled garlic scapes and a zesty pesto that you’ll want to spoon on top of everything you eat.
This recipe has it all: charred garlic scapes for a garlicky bite; walnuts, which I find to be far more complex and earthy than pine nuts when used in pesto; parmigiano-reggiano for an unmistakably salty note; and lemon zest which keeps an otherwise super-savory sauce delightfully bright.
Pesto is great on anything, but believe me when I tell you that this pesto is great on everything. A couple of my favorite accompaniments below:
Pasta with Garlic Scape Pesto Cream (seriously, y’all — make this!)
Roasted chicken — smear this pesto all over a whole bird, and roast according to your favorite recipe (this is one of my favorite recipes, but you do you).
Eggs — spoon some charred garlic scape pesto over fried or scrambled eggs; bonus points if you swirl some into your next Sunday brunch frittata!
Toast — deceptively simple but insanely delicious, pesto toast was something I ate a whole lot of back in my college days; grill or toast bread, spread pesto on, and devour.
Dressing — for a super simple, fresh salad dressing, mix a heaping spoonful of garlic scape pesto with 1:2 parts balsamic vinegar to extra virgin olive oil, add a generous squeeze of lemon, and whisk vigorously to combine
These are just a couple of my favorite pesto applications, but I could go on forever. Get creative! And anything you don’t finish in 5 days or so can go straight into the freezer (in a tight-lidded container) so you can enjoy the beauty of garlic scapes when Summer is but a distant memory.
I ❤️ garlic scapes, and you will, too.
Charred Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients:
- Around 10 garlic scapes; ends trimmed off
- 1/4 c. raw walnuts (or pine nuts, it's up to you!)
- 3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil (less or more according to your desired consistency)
- 1/2 c. packed basil leaves
- 1/4 c. grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- Zest of one lemon
- Approx. 1 tsp. kosher salt (to taste)
Instructions:
- Pre-heat a cast-iron skillet or grill over high heat. While pre-heating, chop the scapes into 2 inch slices. When skillet (or grill) is hot, add the scapes. Let them char, undisturbed, until deeply brown on one side — around 2 or 3 minutes. Flip, repeat, and remove to a plate.
- Add the scapes to a food processor or blender. Blend for about 30 seconds, until they're mostly broken down. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed. If the scapes won't easily blend (especially if using a blender), add a drizzle of olive oil until it gets going. While the scapes blend, roughly chop your walnuts.
- Add chopped walnuts, and process for another 30 seconds. When walnuts are well-blended, add remaining ingredients (except salt) and process to your desired consistency. Add the salt little by little — testing as you go until it's appropriately seasoned. You can also add more olive oil here, if you'd like, so your pesto is as thick as you prefer.
- Store in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and/or make Pasta with Charred Garlic Scape Pesto and refrigerate the rest. The pesto will keep for about five days in the fridge — pour a thin layer of olive oil on the top to keep things as fresh as possible. You're welcome to double or triple this recipe and store the extra pesto in the freezer for future recipes.