making the world a better place one bite at a time

Eat your Hat – with Garlic Scape Pesto

Eat your Hat – with Garlic Scape Pesto

If you’re not familiar with garlic scapes, now’s the time! Garlic scapes are the flower bud of the garlic plant and are removed by growers to encourage growth of the bulb. Rather than waste these tasty stalks by discarding them to the compost heap, you can cook with them. They taste like garlic (of course) and are a great addition to a bunch of dishes, not the least of which is pesto. So yum (we’ll be addressing the versatility of pesto in a whole ‘nother blog, trust me).

This recipe calls for orecchiette, that cute, little hat-shaped pasta, but really you can use this however you wish. I love it with gnocchi, tortellini… whatever. Although lately, I’ve been experimenting with my new spiralizer and believe me, pesto and spiralized zucchini noodles are a match made in heaven.

Conscious Shopping Tip: Make extra pesto and liven up chicken salad or a cold pasta salad. Pesto is also great on a white pizza or you can mix a little in with your mayonnaise for a delicious sandwich condiment.

Orecchiette Pasta with Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto

July 3, 2017
: 4 to 6
: 10 min
: 15 min
: 25 min
: Easy

By:

Ingredients
  • 10 garlic scapes, chopped
  • 8 to 10 basil leaves, rough chopped
  • 1/2 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 C slivered almonds
  • 1/2 C extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
  • sea salt, to taste
Directions
  • Step 1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  • Step 2 Spread almonds in a single layer over a cookie sheet and toast in oven until lightly golden and aromatic (7 to 8 minutes).
  • Step 3 Set aside to cool.
  • Step 4 Prepare orecchiette according to package instructions.
  • Step 5 In a food processor, combine garlic scapes, basil leaves and almonds along with a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil and pulse to thoroughly blend ingredients.
  • Step 6 Add cheese and pulse to mix, then slowly drizzle in remaining olive oil.
  • Step 7 Blend to desired texture.
  • Step 8 Add sea salt, to taste. You may also add a bit more cheese at this time, if desired.
  • Step 9 Pulse to blend.
  • Step 10 Drain pasta and return to warm pot, mixing in the pesto.
  • Step 11 Serve immediately.
Please follow and like us:

Related Posts

Holy Rocket, Batman! Some Like it Hot!

Holy Rocket, Batman! Some Like it Hot!

By Any Other Name My love for arugula just expanded exponentially. Call it what you want—rocket, arugula, rucola, roquette—this green by any other name would taste as peppery, spicy, delicious any way you eat it. I’m so overflowing with love that I can even see […]

Necessity is the Mother of Pesto

Necessity is the Mother of Pesto

I recently overheard someone refer to pesto as “boring” and could not believe my ears. My taste buds were pretty incredulous, too, at the very idea. I remember vividly my first pesto experience… sitting by the window in a small, dimly lit Italian restaurant many […]



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial
Verified by MonsterInsights