Garlic Scape Pesto
By Jeff Schwarz and Greg Kessler from New York Times Cooking
The star of this pesto is the garlic plant’s underappreciated second offering: the fleeting garlic scape. A food processor is a must for this recipe. Start with the scapes and process for about 30 seconds. Add the seeds until they are broken down and mixed well with the scapes. Next, pour in the olive oil. If you have Parmesan cheese in chunks, add it now, but if it is grated, wait until the scapes and seeds smooth out. If you’re serving right away, add the basil and lemon juice. If not, hold back on the basil for now — otherwise the pesto will lose its vibrant color. Add generously to cooked spaghetti or spread on crusty bread. Yield: About 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 1cup garlic scapes, sliced crosswise (about 10 to 12 scapes)
- ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup basil leaves
- Juice of one lemon
Preparation:
Place the garlic scapes in a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds.
- Add the sunflower seeds and pulse for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the olive oil and process on high for 15 seconds.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse until the ingredients are combined.
- Add salt to taste and serve immediately.
White Bean and Garlic Scapes Dip
By Melissa Clark from New York Times Cooking
This velvety, fluffy dip, which uses the green curly garlic scapes you find at the farmer’s market in spring, is the color of sugar snap peas. But the flavor is assertive and thrillingly garlicky. Featured in a A Garlic Festival Without a Single Clove. Yield: 1½ cups
Ingredients:
- ⅓cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)
- 1tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
- ½teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
Preparation:
- In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.
- With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.
- Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.
