Tomato, Pine Nut and Arugula Pesto Pasta

Here's another recipe I made for my demo at Blooming Glen Farm last week.  I've made this dish for a number of clients and it's always a big hit.  It's really easy and, when you use fresh ingredients, so tasty!

(By the way, congratulations to Tom, Tricia and all the folks at Blooming Glen Farm for becoming certified organic!  It's a lot of work to get that designation.  Way to go!)

Back to the food.  This pesto is great with pasta, although you could even use it as a sauce for grilled meat.  It stands on its own really well, but feel free to add some grilled chicken or, as I did in the photo below, some Italian sausage.

Enjoy!

TOMATO, PINE NUT AND ARUGULA PESTO PASTA (from America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook)
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
12 oz cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup arugula
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 small pepperoncini, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound pasta

• Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
• Process tomatoes, arugula, Parm, pine nuts, pepperoncini, garlic, 1 tsp salt and pepper flakes in a food processor until smooth, 30-60 seconds.  Scrape bowl as needed.
• With processor running, slowly add oil until incorporated.  Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Toss in the pasta and serve.

A Great E"scape"

One of the items that Blooming Glen Farm (and many other CSAs) offer during the early summer are garlic scapes.  These alien-looking things are the stalks of the garlic plants that are cut off so the energy of the plant can go toward the bulb instead of the stalk.  But you don't want to let them go to waste.

Problem is, many people don't quite know what to do with these garlicky tasting things. 

They're great chopped up and simply sautéed in some olive oil with salt and pepper--either alone or as an addition to other veggies.  I've also tossed them in oil, salt and pepper and thrown them on the grill until they're tender.  A good accompaniment to some grilled meat or fish.

Probably the most popular way to use them is in a pesto.  If you like garlic, this is a quick and versatile way to use scapes.  Use it tossed with pasta (like I did at the farm this week along with some fresh green beans).  It's also really tasty as a condiment for grilled fish or meat or even on some grilled bread brushed with olive oil.  Yum! 

Like other pestos, freeze your extra in ice cube trays.  When they're frozen solid, remove them to a zipper freezer bag and then you have ready-made pesto whenever you need it. 

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO
This makes a good amount of pesto.  If you want less, or have less scapes to use, just adjust the ingredients accordingly.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb garlic scapes, chopped in 3" pieces
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2-1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Put garlic scapes in food processor and puree until evenly chopped.
• Add Parmesan and pine nuts and process until smooth.
• With processor running, slowly add oil until emulsified and to your desired consistency.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic scapes:

A: are the curly tops of garlic plants.
B: look like something from outer space.
C: are something that CSA members aren't sure how to use.
D: are very tasty.
E: all of the above.

The answer is, of course, E. 

The curvy tops of garlic plants, garlic scapes have a strong garlic flavor, but not as strong as a garlic clove.  They can be used in all sorts of applications--use them where you would normally use garlic or, as a change of pace, in place of scallions.

I've drizzled them with olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled them.  They soften--both in texture and in flavor--and are a nice addition to a grilled vegetable platter, a salad or even something like mashed potatoes (chopped finely).

Tonight, I made a simple and quick garlic scape pesto to serve on top of some grilled steak.  It would be good on any kind of grilled food--pork, chicken or fish (a stronger flavored fish that wouldn't get overpowered by the pesto's flavor).  It's a bit strong to eat by itself, but the steak balances out the flavor. 

Just cut up your garlic scapes (about a pound) in pieces about 3 inches long and process them in a food processor until they're pureed smooth.  Add 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I actually just threw broken up chunks in the food processor instead of grating) and 1/2 cup pine nuts.  Process until smooth.  Then slowly add 1/2-1 cup of extra-virgin olive oil as the food processor runs until it reaches the consistency that you like.  Add salt and pepper to taste and that's it!

This recipe makes quite a bit of pesto (you don't need a lot for a lot of flavor).  Store it in an air-tight container in the fridge.  Or you can freeze it in ice cube trays to use later.  (Just be sure to use it within 3-4 months so the cheese and pine nuts don't go rancid.)  Simply pop out a cube or two, thaw it in the microwave or in the fridge and you've got a flavorful topping to add some zip to your favorite grilled food when you need it.

Presto! It's Pesto!

With all the rain we've gotten lately, our basil is starting to head toward it's end pretty quickly.  So, as she does every year, Mary Beth collects much of the basil and spends some time making pesto.  She freezes it in ice cube trays so we can have fresh-tasting pesto all year round.  It's one of Jake's favorites.

Basil waiting to be made into pesto (along with a couple of our beautiful
red peppers).

This year, she was a little over-ambitious in her picking--she didn't plan on spending all day doing it.  It'll be worth it, though!

Oh, and here's a pic of Jake heading to the car for his first day of kindergarten.  He had a great time.