Scape Pesto

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes ***
• Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

***One of my favorite Spring rituals is the appearance of scapes at the local market.  Scapes are flower stalks that rise from the root of a plant, and in this case, garlic.They need to be cut early in the growing season so they don't take nutrients away from the actual garlic bulb that isn't harvested until later in the year. They are a great addition to many recipes, and taste like a cross between a green onion and garlic, with a hint of asparagus.

Scapes are great tossed in a stir fry, in some scrambled eggs, and especially good in pesto.

Directions

1. Add pine nuts and scapes to blender and pulse to mix
2. Add lemon juice and zest and pulse
3. Turn on blender to medium speed and with it running slowly drizzle olive oil to mix
4. Add cheese and combine
5. Season with salt and pepper

Pro Tip:  If you are serving pesto with pasta, combine a few spoons of pesto with a  1/2 cup of pasta water to mix in bowl before adding pasta.