Description
Homemade garlic scape pesto delivers bold Mediterranean flavors with fresh herbs and nutty nuances. Chefs can craft this simple sauce in minutes, blending local ingredients for a delightful culinary experience you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 garlic scapes
- 1 packed cup (1.5 oz) baby spinach
- ½ oz (¼ cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup raw or roasted, salted pistachios (shelled)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 medium lemon
- ½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Prep Ingredients: Trim woody ends of garlic scapes and chop into 1-inch segments, gathering all remaining ingredients for processing.
- Blend Base: Combine chopped garlic scapes, pistachios, spinach, Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in food processor, pulsing to create a coarse initial mixture.
- Emulsify Pesto: Stream extra virgin olive oil into running processor, creating a smooth, vibrant green sauce while scraping down sides to ensure uniform consistency.
- Season and Adjust: Taste pesto and fine-tune flavor profile by adding salt, lemon juice, or olive oil to achieve balanced taste.
- Store and Serve: Transfer pesto to clean glass container, smoothing surface to eliminate air pockets, and either use immediately as a versatile sauce or refrigerate with a protective olive oil layer for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Chop Precisely: Cut garlic scapes into uniform 1-inch segments for consistent texture and even blending in the pesto.
- Pulse Strategically: Short, controlled pulses help achieve the perfect coarse mixture before smooth blending, preventing over-processing.
- Oil Drizzling Technique: Slowly stream extra virgin olive oil while processor runs to create smooth, emulsified pesto with balanced flavors.
- Storage Savvy: Cover pesto surface with thin olive oil layer to prevent browning and maintain vibrant green color when refrigerated.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: None
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 5mg