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You are here: Home / Topics / Recipes / Radish Top Pesto with Garlic Scapes and Goat Cheese

Recipes

Radish Top Pesto with Garlic Scapes and Goat Cheese

radish_pesto_fin

My radishes in my Spring garden have gone to tops.  With all of the rain we’ve had recently and not enough sun, only a few of my crunchy spicy roots have actually formed bulbs.

I wasn’t too sad as I knew I was going to use up the vibrant green tops above ground.

radish_tops

I was thinking about braising my greens with another seasonal vegetable, throwing them into a tart or even sauteing them with breakfast potatoes.  However, I never thought about radish top pesto until I asked the Spain in Iowa Facebook fans for ideas.

A brilliant idea it was as my head started turning with what I could add to flavor the pesto.  Garlic scapes were on the top of my mind as I had just purchased another bundle of green garlic with it’s scapes attached at the farmers market.

garlic_and_scapes

As the garlic bulbs are forming larger below, the scapes start to form and swirl in at the top of the stalk.  Farmers cut them from the stalk above allowing the bulb to mature below ground.   The scapes have a delightful mild garlic taste and are a great addition to any savory dish.

I was blessed as the farmer I purchased these from left the scape attached to the larger bulbed green garlic.  I was a happy girl.

What I love about pesto is that really… you can add anything you want to it.  As long as you add a nut (raw or roasted), some good aged cheese and olive oil…. you can experiment any which way you please.

For this variation, I opted to include aged goat cheese from my local farmers market.  They were curds of cheese much like Feta, however, not as dry.  The cheese was perfect and the flavor shone through.  For nuts I added hazelnuts and to add a bit of freshness, a few tablespoons of fresh mint and lemon juice.

The flavors melded beautifully.  I’ll be able to use this in a variety of recipes including pasta (I’m thinking with seared scallops), on bread, as a marinade or homemade pizza.  The list can go on.

With many more radish tops in my garden, I’m going to make a few more batches of this pesto and preserve them in pint jars in the freezer as it freezes well.

Radish Top Pesto with Garlic Scapes and Goat Cheese

 

radish_scape_pestoIngredients:

  • 2 packed cups of radish leaves (Since I had tiny radish bottoms, I included them as well to give it an extra bit of spiciness.)
  • 4 garlic scapes
  • 1 green garlic (optional)
  • 1/2 cup aged goat cheese (I used goat cheese crumbles, Feta would work great as well)
  • 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
  • 3 tbls fresh mint
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tsp celtic sea salt
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. In a food processor add the radish leaves and tiny bits of radish bottoms (or 2-3 small bulbed radishes).  Pulse 2 to 3 times.

blender

2. Add the garlic scapes, green garlic, goat cheese, hazelnuts, mint, lemon juice and sea salt.

3. Start the processor and through the top, feed the olive oil slowly until you reach a consistency you desire.  I used a 1/2 cup (thicker consistency).  For a thinner consistency use between 3/4 to 1 cup of olive oil.

That’s it, super easy and you’ll be able to use the pesto in a variety of recipes.  It will keep fresh in the fridge in a pint jar or container for a week or so and usually keeps longer if you pour a bit of olive oil to cover the top.

If you’d like to preserve it for longer use, freeze it.  It keeps well for a long time.  Buen Provecho!

Do you have any other suggestions for radish tops?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

 


7 Comments

About Diana Bauman

Diana is a mother of three, proud wife, and humbled daughter of God. She finds the most joy meeting with Jesus in her organic gardens. She is completely blessed to be able to call herself a stay at home mom where she home educates her children, joyfully serves her husband, and cooks nourishing, real food, for her family. She loves connecting with people on facebook, google+, pinterest, and instagram.

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Comments

  1. IAMSNWFLAKE says

    June 24, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    Each time I see radishes on display I wonder how I could use them. This is a great idea!
    Have a nice weekend!

    Reply
  2. Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal says

    June 24, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    wow, that looks interesting, I am a big fan of pesto, any type of pesto, and this sounds mouth watering 🙂

    Reply
  3. Annapet says

    June 25, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    Thank you Diana for sharing this! Another NEW way [for me] to enjoy my radish tops! I have missed you blog and Tweets. I’ve been behind reading blogs. I love the new [to me] design!

    Sincerely,
    Annapet
    Formerly blogging as Moonglow Gardens

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      June 26, 2011 at 8:27 pm

      Thanks for stopping by Annapet!

      Reply
  4. Jackie says

    May 26, 2014 at 10:47 pm

    Ah ha- my radish leaves looked so beautiful, I was wondering how I could use them! Thanks for the great idea!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Garden Update, June 2011 - A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa says:
    July 1, 2011 at 10:10 am

    […] We have been harvesting lettuce, green onions, and peas.  The radishes went to tops, however, we did use them to make pesto. […]

    Reply
  2. Humble Tips to Eating Well When You Don't Feel Like Cooking - My Humble Kitchen says:
    November 8, 2013 at 10:14 am

    […] Garden Fresh Pesto […]

    Reply

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I’m Diana – mother of five, proud wife, and daughter to an amazing God. Here you’ll find an encouraging community seeking to nourish our families both physically and spiritually. You’ll find us in our kitchens, gardens, and homeschool rooms pursuing a simple life in food, faith, and family.

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