Garlic Scape Pesto

The star of this pesto is the garlic plant’s underappreciated second offering: the fleeting garlic scape. These thin, curly, vibrantly green stalks come into season in the late spring and early summer, and offer more than a slightly rowdy alternative to garlic.

Because of their substantial heft as opposed to garlic cloves, they are vegetable, aromatic, and even herb all in one.. Garlic scapes are the stalks that grow from the bulbs of hardneck garlic plants. If left unharvested, the scapes eventually bloom flowers when the garlic plant fully matures. We eagerly steal them (aka harvest) at this time of year so that they won't drain nutrients from the garlic bulbs that will be dug up in a couple of months, plump and glorious and ready for drying. And, relish in the spoils of the robbery.

Garlic scape pesto is my favourite way to use garlic scapes, either straight-up or mixed with herbs like basil and dill, or even mint. Pesto showcases raw scapes in all their glory. Scape pesto can be very pungent, but it mellows substantially after a few months in the freezer. I like it best in the middle of winter, but I think that's one part mellowing and two parts longing for a taste of summer in the dead of winter.

The ingredients are the same as regular pesto sauce except for the substitution of walnuts (can also use sunflower seeds, or any nut of choice) for pine nuts. Sunflower seeds and walnuts are a fraction of the cost of pine nuts and do the job just as well. A food processor is a must for this recipe. Like mayonnaise, when making pesto, ingredient order matters.

Ingredients

• 1 cup garlic scapes, sliced crosswise (about 10 to 12 scapes)

• ¼ cup walnuts (or raw sunflower seeds)

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)

• ½ cup basil leaves (fresh if possible, but dried will work also)

• Juice of one lemon

Directions

Start with the scapes and process for about 30 seconds.

Add the nuts (or seed of choice) until they are broken down and mixed well with the scapes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula for wandering bits.

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 colour.

Use like you would regular pesto with pasta. Or, add generously to cooked spaghetti, soup au pistou, on pizza or spread on crusty bread. Viva La Primavera!