Milder, sweeter, and less pungent than mature garlic, green garlic is available during the winter season. It’s essentially young garlic harvested before the bulb fully forms. Commonly used in dry sabzis (hare lehsun ki sabzi is a Rajasthani speciality), sauces, and sautes, here green garlic is used in a pasta recipe, specifically green garlic pesto pasta.
Pesto sauce, an Italian speciality, usually includes basil leaves, pine nuts, and olive oil. In this pasta recipe, chopped green garlic is added to the sauce. The green garlic pesto is mixed with boiled pasta to whip up a dish that tastes fresher and milder than the usual pesto pasta. It has a zesty, sweet taste and a herby profile that makes it perfect for warm, winter lunches or cosy dinners.
Add the chopped green garlic bulbs, stalks, and sea salt to a mortar. Using a pestle, coarsely crush the green garlic.
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Step 2: Add other ingredients
Once the garlic is coarsely crushed, one by one, add and crush basil leaves, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. Make sure to crush after adding each ingredient. Lastly, add the olive oil and give it a good mix.
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Step 3: Boil the pasta
Take a large pot and add about 7-8 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil. Then, add the pasta and cook it al dente, as per package instructions. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and keep it warm.
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Step 4: Mix the pasta and sauce
Add the pesto sauce to the hot, drained pasta. Toss well to coat evenly. Add 1–2 tbsp of the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce and help it cling to the pasta. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil if desired. Serve immediately.