Scape pesto recipe please

[Nyleve]

Ok, I cave. My neighbour just bestowed a huge bag of these on me. I've never been too taken with the idea of scape pesto, but I really need to do SOMETHING with all of these things and the pesto could just be a nice thing to have in the freezer. Your best recipe, please and thank you.

[darklyglimmer]

This isn't a pesto, but it is delicious: Heidi Swanson's Garlic Scape Soup from Super Natural Cooking. Saute two dozen (or an equivalent amount of green onions, or a mixture of the two) in two tablespoons olive oil until just soft, then add three unpeeled diced potatoes and five cups of stock. Simmer 20 minutes, remove from heat, add three big handfuls of stemmed or baby spinach and 1/2 tsp salt, puree with an immersion blender, add the juice from half a lemon and season. I only had 7 scapes, so halved the recipe and made up the difference with green onions. The result is a lovely green, very thick - almost more puree-y than soup-y - and tasty with grilled apple-and-cheddar sandwiches. The lemon really makes it pop.

[The Dairy Queen]

I always need scape recipes and I can't believe this one has been right under my nose this whole time! Thank you for reporting on it!

~TDQ

[Rocky45]

Scape pesto would be too strong. But don't think of it as pesto. Think of it as a seasoning. Store it in a jar, top it with olive oil for extra preservation and use it to add flavor to your dishes. Sounds wonderful!

[Marge]

I made Dorie Greenspan's recipe last week and it was delicious--and kept the vampires away!
http://doriegreenspan.com/2009/06/i-s...

[Nyleve]

I think I'll make this one. Thank you! AND I'll also make a batch of compound butter.

[al b. darned]

I've made pesto with just scapes and with basil and scapes and liked them both.

FWIW, scapes keep well. Put them in a plastic bag (a grocery store produce bag will do) leaving it open so air can circulate, and put in the veggie drawer in the fridge.

[odkaty]

We got a whole bunch from our CSA this year. After using a bunch, I made compound butter (1 cup butter, a lot of scapes, chives, lemon juce, pepper), pesto (more scapes, toasted walnuts, olive oil, lemon zest & juice, salt) and froze the bulk of each. On the advice of a food preservation website I'm chopping and freezing the remainder. The recipes ideas came from Serious Eats, but I modified to suit our palate.

[greygarious]

I am not sure we're talking the same thing, as the terms green garlic, garlic greens, Chinese chives, garlic chives, and scapes are sometimes used interchangeably. My understanding is that scapes are twirly stems and green garlic is flat strap-like tapering stems longer than scallions. That's what I've used. Good for pesto when used with spinach or basil and no regular garlic added. I found that they kept well in the refrigerator crisper for a couple of weeks, which is a lot longer than scallions will last. I also chop and freeze them, then use them in soups, stews, and pasta sauces. I also use them in salads instead of scallions.

[odkaty]

You and I have the same definition of scapes.

[mordacity]

I don't have an actual recipe, but a word of caution: GO EASY. Last summer I made a garlic scape pesto with pine nuts and a few herbs, and it was WAY too powerful even for my garlic-loving mouth. We eventually rendered it edible by mixing it with standard basil pesto to dilute it.

For non-pesto applications, I like garlic scapes in stir-fires or sauteed and added to omelets and the like.

[Nyleve]

I suspected as much. I love garlic but unfortunately my body doesn't react well to large amounts of raw garlic. So I'm usually pretty restrained when I use it in dishes where it won't be cooked - like hummus and salads. Scapes are milder than garlic cloves, however, so I was hopeful that the pesto wouldn't kill me. I may start with a compound butter and then move on to some pesto. Most of the scapes will be used fresh in stir frys, probably.

[Dcfoodblog]

Try doing a Thai basil pesto with one or two scapes with thai basil, a quirt of nuoc mam, sesame oil and peanuts instead of pine nuts.