Garlic Scape Pesto
This garlicky and herbaceous pesto puts garlic scapes to great use. Slather this stuff on pizzas and sandwiches, or pair it with meats, veggies, or pasta!
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Servings: 0.5 cup
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds lightly toasted
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped garlic scapes bulbs discarded
- 1 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese plus more, if desired
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Toasting your sunflower seeds.
- Position a small dry pan over very low heat. Add the sunflower seeds and lightly toast them, stirring often, until they begin to turn a golden color — about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Garlic Scape Pesto.
- Place the sunflower seeds, garlic scapes, basil, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender (if using a high-powered blender, take it slow and make sure you don't completely puree the ingredients). Pulse a few times and then, with the processor running on low, gradually add the olive oil. Continue until the mixture is thoroughly blended but still had some texture to it.
- Taste, and adjust salt/pepper to your preference, if necessary.
- Transfer the pesto to a jar or container. Add the grated parmesan and stir until completely mixed in.
- If you want a looser consistency, you can add a bit more olive oil.
- Seal and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for up to three months.
- Slather it over your fave pizzas, sandwiches, meats, or add to pasta long with a bit of starchy pasta water for a creamy and herbaceous sauce! Or, of course, grab a cracker and just dig in :)