Garlic scape pesto pasta with asparagus

One great way to make use of the garlic scapes at the Riverwest Gardeners Market is to pulse them into a pesto. This meal is June in a bowl.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb linguine (or the pasta of your choosing)
• 1 cup pine nuts or cashews (or a combination of the two), soaked in water for 8 hours*
• Approximately 2 cups chopped garlic scapes (about 20-30 scapes)
• 3 tbsp plus 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
• 1-2 tsp salt, to taste
• 1 lb asparagus

Directions:

1. Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. While linguine is cooking, drain the soaked nuts. Then, blend the nuts, scapes, 3 tbsp olive oil, lemon pepper, and salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. This will yield a paste-like consistency; for a saucier consistency, add more olive oil, or a drizzle of lemon juice for a more citrusy sauce.
3. After pesto is made, chop your asparagus into two inch pieces and sauté in a sauce pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook with lid on for roughly 5 minutes to soften the asparagus, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and continue to cook until slightly browned, roughly an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Either stir asparagus pieces into pasta, or top the pasta with it. Yields 2-4 servings.

*If you are short on time, nuts can be soaked in very hot water for half an our to achieve a similar softness.