Garlic Scape Pesto! (No vampires in our house!)

I’ve been seeing them for years:  those gorgeous, exotic, slender green twirls of garlic scapes.  I think I’d even had them once before, long ago, diced into a soup.

Then the Garlic Scape Pesto… Garicky goodness! post over at gardening in the boroughs of nyc  caught my eye.  Garlic scape PESTO?  Really?  I was intrigued.

A few days later I saw Tis the Season for Garlic Scape Pesto over at Our Happy Acres.  Hmmm.

Over the weekend I saw the garlic scapes again at the food co-op and this time I couldn’t pass them by.

fresh garlic scapes, ready for pesto-making!

chopped scapes ready for the food processor

a little salt, olive oil, parmesan, and walnuts later….

Presto – pesto!  I threw some red pepper flakes into mine.  A nice chilly glass of Sauvignon Blanc went very nicely with it.

Verdict?  AMAZING!  I can’t believe I’ve never tried this before.  I was surprised by how the flavor was simultaneously delicate  and yet VERY garlicky.  Let me repeat VERY garlicky!  Like – I didn’t talk to anyone at close range the next day -garlicky, but totally worth it.

It made plenty to freeze for another time, and I’m already looking forward to that dinner.  What a treat this was!

Thanks to  Mimi and to Villager for turning me on to garlic scape pesto!  It’s a keeper for sure, and may be the thing that convinces me to try growing my own garlic.  😉

If you’ve never had it before, try it now while there are still scapes!   Villager has a great recipe posted here.  It couldn’t be quicker or easier, and it’s delicious.  And if it’s true what they say about garlic helping to keep mosquitoes away, well, hey – that’s just an added, welcomed bonus.