I’ve never gardened before. But I’m turning 30 this year, so I’ve been thinking about hobbies. I just washed potting soil off my hands and I feel great. I spent the rainy, gray afternoon shopping for potting soil with my dad and hosing down terracotta pots. Then, I nestled my new tomato plant into my gargantuan pot of soil and sprinkled a few little pots with basil seeds. I’ve been thinking a lot about spring, vegetables, and greens. So my recipe this week is fitting. I’m a sucker for pasta, so I created a green garlic pesto primavera with homemade garganelli. And I had a blast.

Spring Cleaning + Eating

This week started with some spring cleaning. We’re going through my parent’s house to clear out some outdated appliances and junk from the basement. And I cleaned and organized our “den”, which is mostly a computer, TV, and a collection of my dad’s Red Sox memorabilia. I zoned out and listened to podcasts while I cleaned. Sorting through old things. I found my late grandfather’s yearbook and couldn’t believe how he looked as a young man. I also found birthday letters from my parents when I was 3 or 4. From “mommy and daddy”. Handwritten notes on construction paper and old report cards, school notebooks, and college calculus homework that is now inscrutable to me.

So I’ve been in a very nostalgic place. Especially while reflecting on my age. Nearing 30 in September. I’ve also been spending as much time as possible outside and dreaming of a vegetable and herb garden. It all started with a couple planter boxes that my dad picked up from work, which nobody wanted, a few years ago. I decided to fill them with tomatoes and culinary herbs and plant them in front of our house in early spring. Long story short, each year I chickened out, and several springs went by. But this year I was more determined. When we were cleaning, I found a bundle of terracotta pots.

Planting a Vegetable Garden

I drove my grandmother to a health appointment on Tuesday. We got lunch and shared a cookie. I planned to stop at the garden center on the way home, but we were too tired. So, I spent Wednesday and Thursday trying to warm my cold feet. I don’t know why I’ve been so hesitant to get into gardening. Maybe it’s because I’m always determined to be excellent at whatever I try. All of my “hobbies” like cooking and art and writing are things I share with people and make money from. So I’ve been itching to find something that’s just for me. In order to get myself to take the leap, I bought a tomato plant at the farmers market.

Sungold tomatoes to be exact. Bright yellow orbs of intense sweet acidity that I plan to pick and cut directly onto my homemade pizzas in the summer. I decided to take the shortcut and buy a plant instead of seeds to save myself from my perfectionism and impatience. But I also picked up some basil seeds, just to challenge myself. I also bought green garlic at the farmers market. I haven’t cooked much with it, but I know it’s prized each spring. And it’s garlicky, so you don’t have to convince me to try it. I left the market with a huge leafy plant sticking out of my tote bag and I immediately started recipe planning when I got home.

Green Garlic Recipes

Green garlic pesto pasta. Focaccia with green garlic. Fried green garlic. I was thinking of homemade pasta, since it was dreary outside after a stretch of warm weather. And I decided to make a green garlic pesto pasta with homemade green pasta dough. I’ve done it before, for my ravioli carbonara, but this time I wanted to make a simple and delicious pasta dish where green garlic is the star. Pasta primavera is one of my favorite things in the spring, which balances acidity, freshness, and richness of pasta and sauce so well. Originally, I decided to make foglie d’ulivo, one of my favorite Italian pastas (which is green and shaped like olive leaves) and I got to work. After making a green garlic pesto.

The green garlic pesto pasta is super easy to make, and the pesto sauce is a quick blender recipe. I threw in the green leafy parts of the green garlic plant and some of the stock for more garlic flavor. Then, I measured in olive oil, salt, lemon, walnuts, and parmesan cheese. A simple and classic pesto, made with a pungent garlicky herb. After a few long pulses, I had a thick, oily, and deliciously herbaceous and cheesy green garlic pesto sauce. I threw it in the fridge while I worked on my pasta.

Green Garlic Pesto Pasta Primavera

In retrospect, I think I should have made an egg-free green garlic pesto pasta with green garlic puree. Especially with the price of eggs these days. The color would be more vibrant. But I always have the recipe I learned in Florence in the back of my head – 85 g of flour per egg. I wanted enough to feed my parents and I, so I used 4 eggs, blended with green garlic and a little water. Because of the water, I added a little extra flour and brought the green garlic pesto pasta dough together in a bowl. Once it was cohesive, I dumped it onto my counter and began kneading away. I’m used to kneading pizza dough now, which is much softer. So kneading this green garlic pesto pasta dough, garganelli dough to be exact, was exhausting.

I spent nearly 15 minutes working it into an elastic, thick, strong dough. It was light green – a delightful and pretty pastel color. You can add more green garlic if you want, or spinach, basil, kale, etc. for a deeper color. But I wrapped my garganelli dough (which I thought was foglie d’ulivo dough) and placed it in the fridge to chill. Because it was so stretched it needed a long rest to relax. But I took it out about 40 minutes later. I cleared a work space and immediately began cutting off long thin segments of green garlic pesto pasta dough. And I rolled each into a long, thin rope, like a kid with play-doh. I cut off equal-sized pasta tubes and then spent what felt like eons pressing the ends together to form points, like leaves.

Green Pasta Dough

Next I grabbed a butter knife out of the silverware drawer and began to form my foglie d’ulivo (olive leaves). I pressed down on one edge and pulled towards the other, pressing the first edge down with my finger. Quickly I found mine becoming uneven blobs of ripping, jagged shapes. I forged on and exhausted myself, spending a couple hours diligently making leaves. I thought they’d get better the more I worked. The dough would relax more. I only needed to photograph the best ones. But after a while I needed a rest, so I placed them on a baking sheet to dry out and put the other dough half in the fridge.

Now, if my pasta dough wasn’t made with eggs, it would have become nice and dried and ready to boil the next day. But instead they became gummy and hard. Rookie mistake. The next day I had half of my green garlic pesto pasta dough left and decided to make garganelli. A pasta shape I’ve been thinking about for a while. I think I first saw it on Masterchef Australia. My favorite contestant Laura made it during a mystery box with a gnocchi board and a traditional yellow dough. I’ve been dreaming of making garganelli with my gnocchi board, just like Laura’s, but I ignored my instinct and made foglie d’ulivo. I had another chance, so when I secured my pasta machine and gnocchi board it was game on.

Homemade Garganelli

I started by rolling my green dough out through the thickest setting and splitting it into two even sheets. Then, I rolled it again through the “3” setting, the “4” setting, and the “5” setting. I ended with 6, which is typically my perfect pasta thickness. Especially when you want a toothsome tube of pasta to stand up to a mighty sauce. When I was happy with my pasta sheets I trimmed the edges. Then, I cut them into uneven squares and readied them for my gnocchi board. Garganelli is made by taking a square piece of pasta, pointed side up, and rolling it with a dowel on the grooved board. I used my trusty chopstick, which I use to mix pretty much everything in my kitchen. It worked perfectly for my green garganelli.

Quickly I realized my garganelli pasta pieces were gorgeous and glorious. I loved the texture of the striped board in the middle and the crowned open edges on the sides. Garganelli is a lot easier to make than those olive leaves. And even though a lot of my squares were rectangles they still looked amazing. I slipped into a meditative glee while rolling them with my chopstick and flicking them onto my counter. Soon I had a whole bunch of them and carried on with my recipe, excited to make my sauce. So, I took the rest of my green garlic and chopped up the stems, on the bias, and trimmed down the dark green thin leaves. I got my green garlic pesto out of the fridge and placed a soup spoon in it for when I was ready.

Finishing My Green Garlic Pesto Pasta

Homemade pasta, not just garganelli, goes quickly if you do it right. It’s pretty much just boiling it until it floats in salted water, then hoisting it quickly into a warm pan of sauce. I like to add a little pasta water and parmesan cheese to melted butter. Salt and olive oil. It usually comes together in a quick, luscious sauce. This time was no exception. And with the addition of the green garlic pesto pasta sauce, I was in heaven. My garganelli boiled and floated quickly and my pan was ready next to it with melted butter, softly cooked green garlic, and a little lemon and salt. I hoisted my garganelli in and shook the pan. Then I quickly added my spoonful of green garlic pesto.

I gave it a few chef-like flips to toss it all together. Then, I poured the garganelli onto my black plate and topped it with a little finishing salt. I couldn’t wait to taste my green garlic pesto pasta. But pictures came first. The weather was overcast and rainy, so I had gorgeous lighting through the window. I took a few quick shots of my green pasta and loved the contrast of the green on the black plate. The vivid, verdant color was exactly what I needed. Then, I got to dig in and enjoy my garganelli.

Rainy Days + Gardening

My green garlic pesto pasta is so fresh, rich, earthy, and toothsome, all at the same time. The green garganelli is beautifully cooked and chewy, and the ribs from the gnocchi board help the pasta cling onto the delicious sauce. The green garlic pesto is ripe with garlic flavor and the freshness of a home grown green vegetable. It’s a little oily, in a great way, and full of cheese and lemon flavor. It has undertones of rich earthy nuts, too. And the leaves I sautéed into the sauce pack the most punch with a great garlic flavor. Pops of salt and lemon add so much. I tucked in and before I knew it, I ate half the plate. But I finished cleaning up and I cooked my pasta scraps with the remaining green garlic pesto in the pan.

I’m so glad I made this. And so glad I decided to buy green garlic at the farmers market. I almost got rhubarb instead but that’s a story for next week. I had such a great morning saying hi to all the vendors. Visiting my favorite stands. Thinking back to last year and how sad I was when it closed. All the best produce is yet to come. So I’m excited. And I’m feeling so fulfilled by my gardening projects. Spending time with my family. Even enjoying the rainy, gray days we’ve been having. I’m in a good place, and feeling content. And I can’t wait to witness my plants grow up and produce the most juicy, plump tomatoes.Beautiful leafy basil. I have big plans for summer pizza nights and Sunday bruschetta lunches. Life is good.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading! Let me know if you make this recipe. I highly recommend at least trying green garlic if you can. And making garganelli if you have a gnocchi board. You can use a fork, too! Garganelli would be amazing with a ragù in winter, or with a light lemon and cheese sauce. In Mac and cheese. With sour cream pasta sauce. It feels like all I make lately is pasta and cookies, but that’s alright with me.

My Etsy page has 100’s of watercolor art prints and greeting cards with my recipes inside! If you check them out, be sure to use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Thank you!

Print Pin

Green Garlic Pesto Primavera with Garganelli

Homemade garganelli with green garlic dough, green garlic pesto sauce and butter

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword garlic, pesto, pesto pasta

Prep Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2 cups + 1/3 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups green garlic (leaves)
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 cups green garlic (leaves + stems)
• 1 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup shelled walnuts
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 12 tbsp butter
• Lemon + salt for garnish

Instructions

• Place flour into a large bowl.
• Crack eggs into a blender. Add 3 cups green garlic leaves and 1/4 cup water and blend on high speed until very well mixed.
• Pour egg and green garlic mixture into the bowl of flour and combine with a chopstick or fork until shaggy. Once dough has started to come together, place it on your work surface.
• Knead into a cohesive, elastic dough for 10-15 minutes and cover with plastic wrap. Rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably 60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, rinse and dry your blender. Then add 4 cups of green garlic leaves + stems, olive oil, walnuts, 2 tbsp lemon juice, parmesan, and 1 tbsp sea salt. Pulse on high speed until chunky but blended.
• Pour pesto into a bowl and cover tightly. Place in the fridge to rest until ready to make the sauce.
• Remove your dough from the fridge and cut into 4 equal pieces, placing 3 back in the plastic wrap, completely covered, to rest while you roll out your dough.
• Lightly flour your work surface. Press your first pieces of dough into a flat, long rectangle shape. Roll through your thickest pasta roller setting.
• Continue rolling your pasta through thinner and thinner settings until you reach setting “6”. If you are rolling by hand, roll until you can see your hand through the pasta sheet.
• With your long and thin pasta, trim sides to have even flat edges. Then, cut your pasta into even squares (about 2" x 2").
• Place each square, one at a time, on your gnocchi board, pointy side up. Using a chopstick or thin wooden dowel, wrap the bottom edge around the dowel to secure and roll up, pressing the dough into the board as you form tube shapes.
• Repeat this process of rolling dough and shaping squares then rolling into garganelli, allowing your garganelli to dry on a lightly floured plate.
• Once you’re ready to cook, heat a large pasta pot with 6-8 quarts of water over high heat and add a small palmful of table salt.
• While your water heats, chop the rest of your green garlic and sauté them in 2 tbsp of butter on a gentle simmer in a large sauté pan.
• Boil 1/6 of your pasta at a time, about 24-32 garganelli per person, until it floats on top of the pasta pot. Then, hoist your pasta into the sauté pan of butter and green garlic. Shake to combine.
• Add 1/4 cup pasta water and a heaping spoonful of your green garlic pesto. Shake the pan to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Plate your pasta and sauce and garnish with a sprinkle of sea salt for flavor and an extra squeeze of lemon juice. Repeat for all 6 portions of garganelli.

Notes

• You can use store-bought pasta dough if you prefer. Just cook to the package instructions and resume with the sauce recipe.
• This recipe uses a very large green garlic bulb, so make sure you have enough for several cups of pesto, green garlic pasta dough, and more for sautéing. You can add basil or spinach if you need to.
• You can also use a metal straw for rolling garganelli if you have one.
• If you don’t have a gnocchi board, you can just make rigatoni and skip the gnocchi board step. It’ll be just as delicious!