Pesto of the week! Basil and Garlic Scape Pesto

This whole pesto of the week business is kind of a joke now, because I haven't been making pesto once a week, but I do make it a lot, and something akin to the title "bi-monthly pesto" just seems wrong.

I found garlic scapes when I wasn't looking for them at Whole Foods, and Jer had recently shared (on Google Reader) this Brooklyn Farmhouse recipe for garlic scape walnut basil pesto. I didn't stir the parmesan into the mix, instead I topped the whole shebang with it over pasta. Also, partly from laziness, and partly because I can never really tell the difference, I did not toast the walnuts beforehand.

This was my first time trying scapes...they taste a bit milder than garlic, but still have the zing needed to make a pesto a pesto. That's not the best description, so I'd suggest trying them out for yourself!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 cup garlic scapes, roughly chopped
1 cup basil leaves (tightly packed)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus additional if necessary)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or other hard cheese

1. In a food processor, combine walnuts, garlic scapes, basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pulse in the food processor until the mixture forms a rough paste. Add additional olive oil to thin out the mixture.

2. Stir in, or top with, grated cheese.


Garlic scapes! The cashier at Whole Foods didn't know what these were, even though I told her along with the price...she rang them up as green beans, so I saved a few bucks. I tried to be honest!

Ready to go: