Garlic Scapes Pesto by Singer Farm Naturals

This is Singer Farm Natural's recipe and I absolutely love the consistency! We made this using the scapes that Tom Szulist gave us following our tour of the farm and orchard.

12-15 garlic scapes (chopped)
2⁄3 cup toasted walnuts (This is optional, I left them out of this batch.)
12 medium basil leaves
1⁄2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil, about 1 1⁄2 cups

Place the scapes, basil leaves, several tablespoons of olive oil, coarse sea salt, and pepper in the blender. 

Pulse a few times until the ingredients are roughly mixed and chopped. Add Parmigiano and give a quick blend.

Now, with the blender running, slowly pour the olive oil. Keep pouring and blending until the mixture is a thick and spreadable, yet not completely smooth.

To store, transfer the pesto to a container and pour a thin layer of olive oil on the top to seal. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Serve pesto on crusty bread or mixed into spaghetti noodles with a bit of the hot pasta water added. We liked ours dolloped on our salad and smears on toast. This makes about 2 cups of pesto.

The Pasta Peddler

Miki Sedia and Eric Amodeo together own and operate The Pasta Peddler out of their new location at the Horsefeathers Market. There they are able to offer all of their products, including fresh pasta, raviolis, pesto, and fresh sauce. They will be producing their pasta and ravioli there once the space is completed. They do not manufacture every day, so if you want to catch them in action, you will need to call ahead.

Their pastas are light and airy, not heavy or gummy. During September 2011's NOFA-NY's Locavore Challenge  I featured a pesto pasta recipe using The Pasta Peddler's Tomato Basil Linguini.  The tomato based sauces are heavy with seasoning and a bit on the sweet side, but I think it's more because of the fruit and not because of any added sweetener



The Basil Pesto is well balanced, being neither too oily nor too garlicky, just the hot Italian summer scent of basil and grated parmesan. I'm looking forward to sampling more of their pastas and sauces soon!






Since I last visited, back in April, all of the equipment was put into place and the shop is now churning out a incredible variety of pastas. It is quite the treat to stop in and see all of the strands of noodles dangling on long wooden dowels, drying, waiting to be packaged.

Quinoa, Peas, and Basil Pesto Chicken

Quinoa, well rinsed, is cooked in 1 cup homemade Basil-Garlic Spaghetti Sauce and two cups cold water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low until all of the liquid is absorbed. Add frozen peas and stir. Let sit, covered, for ten minutes before serving with the pan fried chicken.

Take chicken thighs or breast cutlets and marinate them in a pesto. I used basil for this dish, but any green such as cilantro, mustard, kale, or spinach will do. Pan fry until golden brown on both sides.

This was served with a large salad and buttered pumpernickel bread.

Garlic Scape Pesto Chicken and Sweet Pepper Pizza

Marinate chicken strips in pesto, or you can pick up a container ready made at the Lexington Co-op, for 2 hours. Cook the chicken on the stove for 15 minutes on medium. Cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces. Stretch the dough out on an olive oiled cookie sheet. Wipe down the dough with olive oil.

Layer on the chicken. Rough chop over 1 lb of sweet peppers and layer on top of the chicken. Sprinkle 1 lb of shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper and bake at 380 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Set out to cool on a cutting board for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut and serve with a big salad and iced tea.

Haddock with Pesto and Fruit Salad

I've been feeling rather under the weather lately. I still am not certain what that was but suspect the temperature and moisture constantly changing had something to do with it. Because of this I decided something simple yet nutrient dense was in order.

The organic fruits at the co-op looked luscious, so I picked up watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, golden apricots and a mango.

The wild caught haddock from Iceland was firm and without scent. In the produce section I found packs of the Lexington's Local Garlic Scape Pesto. A blend of locally sourced garlic scapes, walnuts, basil, parmigiana cheese, salt, pepper and olive oil. I foil packed each filet with two to three tablespoons of the pesto on top. Sealed the packs up tight and baked them at 400 degrees for about fifteen minutes.

This was so mouthwatering and filling and satisfying, I highly recommend  you give it a try.