Arugula & Garlic Scape Pesto

I love the peppery punch of arugula, and love growing this tender herb in my own garden as an early spring crop. As spring quickly turns to summer, my arugula begins to bolt and take on a strong peppery flavor. The greens are no longer great for salads, but make an incredible pesto.

I wanted to play with a pesto that combined two harvests that coincide - the first of the garlic scapes and the last of the arugula. Both create delicious pesto on their own but combined create something extra special. The addition of toasted garlic cloves adds richness and mellowness in contrast to the peppery punch of this pesto.

Arugula & Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients

4 c. tight-packed arugula
3-4 large Garlic cloves, smashed
1/3 c. Olive oil, plus 3 tbs
4 garlic scapes, chopped
Juice from half a lemon
1.5 oz Parmesan chopped into chunks

Recipe

1. Heat 1/3 c. olive oil in small skillet, add garlic cloves and cook until golden brown all over. Pour oil and cloves into a heat safe container to cool.

2. Add garlic scapes and Parmesan to a blender and pulse until very finely chopped.

3. Add arugula, toasted garlic cloves and the garlic infused olive oil to the blender and blend until smooth.

4. Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil, taste and balance flavor with salt, more olive oil or lemon juice.

5. See recipe below for creating the perfect glossy pesto pasta.

Pesto Pasta

This pesto pasta recipe helps achieve perfectly el dente pasta with a glossy, flavorful sauce that coats every noodle. Nothing is worse then soggy noodles with lack luster sauce. Salmon pairs beautifully with this pasta dish.

Ingredients

4 heaping Tbs. of pesto
2 Tbs. butter
1 c. Pasta water
8oz. Fettuccine
Salt

Recipe

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Water should be salted until it tastes like the sea.

2. Cook noodles until 2 minutes shy of el dente. Reserve 1c. pasta water. Strain noodles.

3. Heat the same pot over medium-high heat.

4. Melt 2 Tbs. butter with 1/4c. pasta water in pot.

5. As soon as the butter melts add pasta, then pesto 1 Tbs. at a time and toss. If pasta and pesto start to get sticky or gluey, add a splash of pasta water to thin it out.

6. Continue tossing and cooking (thinning with pasta water if needed) about 2-4 minutes, until noodles are cooked to desired texture and they are coated in a glossy sauce. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.