Garlic flower stem pesto and pistou

Rank kitchen

When garlic scapes are harvested in late June, they can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. I use these scapes in 2 cm segments sautéed in a pan for all sorts of fricassees, but I like to make garlic scape pistou and pesto to spread on bread, add to a sandwich, or top a pasta dish. You can make large quantities and freeze the mixture. However, I tend to make a small 250 ml jar at a time, as this mixture takes no time to prepare. Since I have an Oyster brand blender, I can fit the blade directly onto a mason jar. In such a 250 ml jar, I put the garlic scapes cut into 3 cm segments, cover with oil, add a little lemon juice and salt to taste, then place the blender blade on the jar and operate the appliance until the texture is smooth. That's it for the pistou. For the pesto, add some walnuts and a little extra oil to the pistou and operate the appliance until the right texture is reached. I like to use walnuts, but I have a preference for cashews. The flavor of this pesto is then unsurpassed.

Ingredients

• 5 garlic flower stems, 25 to 30 cm long, cut into 3 cm segments
• 100 ml olive oil
• Flower of salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• 15 walnuts or cashews, coarsely crushed

Preparation

For the pesto, cut the garlic scapes into 3 cm segments. Place them in a 250 ml Mason jar, add 75 ml of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, and 2 ml of salt. Place the blade on the jar, attach it to a compatible blender, and turn it on. For optimal texture, run the appliance for at least 1 minute, stopping to stir the mixture twice. For the pesto, add 25 ml of olive oil and about 15 walnuts to the pesto. Pulse the appliance 3 times for 30 seconds until the texture is perfect. Stir the mixture at each stage. This preparation is wonderful on toast. Both preparations can be stored in the freezer for later use. In the refrigerator, this pesto and pesto will keep for two to three weeks.

You like my recipes. There are 200 of them in my book The Daily Feast !

Yves Gagnon, cook and seed merchant.