Scape pesto with schmaltz

 

Scape pesto ingredients

Every year when my garlic puts up scapes I make a lot of pesto, and in the past I have posted my usual recipe (click here for recipe). My recipe uses sunflower seeds and kale or nettles.  But a couple of days ago I found myself making scape pesto and did not have enough olive oil handy, and so I experimented with substituting chicken schmaltz instead (click here to read about schmaltz). I did have a little olive oil so I used 3/4 schmaltz and 1/4 olive oil of what the recipe called for - and it came out great!  Maybe even tastier than with just olive oil!

Lately I've been cooking a lot with chicken schmaltz.  It is one of the better by-products of cooking chicken with an air fryer, and as a consequence we've been eating a lot of chicken.  After I finish cooking chicken with the air fryer I pour off the rendered fat in the bottom into a bowl I keep in the fridge.  And then I use the schmaltz in the bowl for cooking stir fries, potatoes whatever.  It makes everything taste really good.  I gather it is a Jewish thing and that butter is not kosher for certain foods and that they substitute schmaltz instead.  This is a REALLY good idea.

Anyway, in the photo below is my schmaltz pesto pasta and air fried chicken meal.  After air frying the chicken I had enough schmaltz leftover to replace the schmaltz I used making the pesto. Schmaltz is my new secret cooking weapon.

Patrick