I have trouble using my garlic scapes. They are a speciality food, that is very seasonal. I just picked mine, and found this recipe on the Kitchen Gardeners International.
You don't have to wait for your basil to make pesto with this recipe. For the uninitiated, garlic scapes are the elegant flowers that emerge from hardneck garlic varieties. Scapes are usually removed as a way of sending more of the plant's vital energy into bulb formation, or so the conventional thinking goes. We also add arugula to this when the planets align. Adding arugual softens the garlic flavor and turns the pesto a darker green which, unlike basil pesto, doesn't oxidize.
Ingredients
1 cup of garlic scapes, top flowery part removed, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/3 cup of walnuts
3/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmigiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon of salt
black pepper to taste
2-3 cups of chopped arugual, if using
Preparation
Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of the bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an sir-tight container in the refrigerator.
