Garlic Scape and Sweet Pepper Pesto

The last of the garlic scapes has arrived.  Whether you are sick of them or looking to make them last, this pesto is going to really be a game-changer for you, and you'll find yourself adding it to everything.  This year, my partner and I discovered the joys of basil and pepper pesto on pizza, and it spawned an endless game of putting pesto on everything imaginable.

Also, word on the Karma Farm Streets is that if you go to visit the farm they'll send you out with an armful of fresh herbs, like basil, which is bountiful right now.  So reach out, and schedule your visit this weekend and make this delicious pesto your new obsession :)

Roasting is the best treatment for these sweet peppers, as the low heat short roast will soften them, allowing some earthy flavors to mix and drawing out the sweetness, while retaining some of the snap from the moisture.


What you'll use from you bag:
1 sweet carmen pepper
5 garlic scapes
2 bulbs of garlic (technically from last week's bag)

What else you'll need:
1 cup tightly packed basil, (you can get this from the farm!)
1/2 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup raw and 1/4 cup roasted
1/2 cup avocado oil

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 lemon peel, sitting in the oil

1/4 cup spring onions

1 sprig fresh thyme 

First, you'll preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Cut the pepper into large pieces, just enough to get the seeds out, and to coat the inside and outside with some oil.  I just dunk them right into the bowl with oil, and brush off the excess.  Do the same with the garlic scapes, but keep them whole.

Onto a baking sheet lined with tin foil, add the oil covered peppers and scapes, 1/4 cup of pine nuts, and 2 entire bulbs of garlic with their end chopped off, skin still on.

Roast for 12 minutes, turning once.

Now, slice the lemon peel and add it to the oil

This will allow the oil to take on a slightly citrus quality, and soften up the lemon peel making it easier to incorporate in the food processor.

Add all your remaining ingredients to the food processor, and wait to add the lemon+oil until just before the roasted veggies come out.

Let the roasted veggies cool

Once you can comfortably hold them in your hand, transfer them to the food processor, but make sure to squeeze out the garlic from its skin, it should slide right out if you hold the pointed end.

The longer you process, the smoother and creamier the texture, so if you prefer a more oily looking, chunky pesto, don't process very long, but pulse until desired texture is achieved.  I like the creamy texture, and it fools even the most epicurean of omnivore foodies :)

Put this on just about anything. This is a soft, layered flavor, that has a bit of sweet, and a lemon (not sour) but a distinctly lemon flavor.  We put it on our breakfast scramble tacos this morning :)

Enjoy!