Garlic Scape + Pepitas Pesto
This flavorful pesto can be used on almost anything for an extra kick of bold flavor.
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 12-14 Garlic Scapes
- 1/4 Cup Pepitas
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Spinach
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- 1 Lemon (juice of)
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil (+3-4 Tbs depending on thickness)
Instructions
- Clean and trim the garlic scapes by rinsing them under water and trimming off the flower bulb and the roughest part of the bottom.
- Slice into one inch pieces.
- Add the garlic scapes and all other ingredients, except for the olive oil to the food processor.
- Start to pulse the mixture and pour in the olive oil slowly until you have used the 1/2 cup. If the mixture is too thick, continue adding olive oil until the mixture is smooth but not totally liquid-y. This took me about 2 minutes running the food processor on low to be the texture I was looking for.
- Once all set to your desired consistency, remove from the food processor and use in one of the quick recipes I list below or rock your own concoction!
Notes
If you'd like to use this pesto for shrimp (for two people), add 2 tablespoons of the pesto to a sauce pan over medium heat and add 10 peeled and cleaned large shrimp to the pan. Add a glug of olive oil or pad of butter to the pan if the pesto needs loosening. Sauté this until the shrimp are cooked through but not overdone. This will depend on the size of the shrimp, but mine were good to go at about 2ish minutes a side. These would be fab on their own, but I served them on top of polenta and they were delish.
To make this with linguine or any pasta, I basically used 1-2 tablespoons per serving depending on how strong you want the flavor to come through. I cooked the pasta until al dente and then tossed the pasta in a sauce pan over medium heat with the pesto and a smidge of butter. Season to taste and top with grated parmesan. YUM.