One of Spring’s Best Gifts!
I’m referring to scapes—a precious springtime allium. Their flavor, texture, and presentation make them one of the season’s best gifts!
They start to appear at farmers’ markets and in community-supported agriculture boxes toward the end of May and are terrific both raw and cooked, adding grassy, garlicky flavor to recipes or simply cooked as a side dish.
Garlic scapes are long, slender flower stems that grow from the tops of hardneck garlic. Each shoot loops in a circle and ends in a mini clove called a bulbil. Farmers and home gardeners know that cutting off the scapes encourages the plant to direct its energy toward growing plump underground garlic bulbs. But it’s only until just recently that growers realized this agricultural byproduct could be sold alongside other springtime vegetables. Here’s applause for this discovery!
I say “applause” because this is an astounding contribution to our meal prep routine. Raw garlic scapes have an assertive garlic flavor that’s less fiery and more grassy than that of raw garlic cloves. When the scapes are cooked, the garlic flavor becomes more muted and sweet—more like roasted garlic than raw—and the texture turns impressively dense and meaty. In a word, they are SCRUMPTIOUS.
Chefs will tell you that the stem ends and the flower pods are too fibrous, even when cooked, so they recommend trimming these parts away before use. However, the pros also say that if you want to eat them raw, then they work best minced or pureed.
In fact, raw pureed scapes are delicious when blended into white bean dip. And if you whiz them with extra-virgin olive oil and pine nuts in a food processor, you’ll have a simple yet potent Garlic Scape Pesto.
I’ll finish this scape treatise with a recipe for this very dish (found on www.cooking.nytimes.com). The exciting thing about this recipe (besides its deliciousness) is that sunflower seeds can be substituted for those VERY expensive pine nuts! The one caveat: A food processor is a must for this recipe. Also, for pesto, ingredient order matters, so follow directions closely.
Farmer’s market, here I come! Can’t wait to snag some scapes! (I’d really like to hear from you if you try this. So, when you think of it, please email me your thoughts.)
1 cup garlic scapes sliced crosswise (about 10 to 12 scapes), ends and flower pods removed
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds (or pinenuts, if you prefer)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese chunked
1/2 cup fresh sweet basil
1 lemon juiced
Directions:
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They start to appear at farmers’ markets and in community-supported agriculture boxes toward the end of May and are terrific both raw and cooked, adding grassy, garlicky flavor to recipes or simply cooked as a side dish.
Garlic scapes are long, slender flower stems that grow from the tops of hardneck garlic. Each shoot loops in a circle and ends in a mini clove called a bulbil. Farmers and home gardeners know that cutting off the scapes encourages the plant to direct its energy toward growing plump underground garlic bulbs. But it’s only until just recently that growers realized this agricultural byproduct could be sold alongside other springtime vegetables. Here’s applause for this discovery!
I say “applause” because this is an astounding contribution to our meal prep routine. Raw garlic scapes have an assertive garlic flavor that’s less fiery and more grassy than that of raw garlic cloves. When the scapes are cooked, the garlic flavor becomes more muted and sweet—more like roasted garlic than raw—and the texture turns impressively dense and meaty. In a word, they are SCRUMPTIOUS.
Chefs will tell you that the stem ends and the flower pods are too fibrous, even when cooked, so they recommend trimming these parts away before use. However, the pros also say that if you want to eat them raw, then they work best minced or pureed.
In fact, raw pureed scapes are delicious when blended into white bean dip. And if you whiz them with extra-virgin olive oil and pine nuts in a food processor, you’ll have a simple yet potent Garlic Scape Pesto.
I’ll finish this scape treatise with a recipe for this very dish (found on www.cooking.nytimes.com). The exciting thing about this recipe (besides its deliciousness) is that sunflower seeds can be substituted for those VERY expensive pine nuts! The one caveat: A food processor is a must for this recipe. Also, for pesto, ingredient order matters, so follow directions closely.
Farmer’s market, here I come! Can’t wait to snag some scapes! (I’d really like to hear from you if you try this. So, when you think of it, please email me your thoughts.)
Garlic Scape Pesto
Yield: approximately 1 cup
Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes sliced crosswise (about 10 to 12 scapes), ends and flower pods removed
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds (or pinenuts, if you prefer)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese chunked
1/2 cup fresh sweet basil
1 lemon juiced
Directions:
1. Place the garlic scapes in a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds.
2. Add the sunflower seeds and pulse for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the olive oil and process on high for 15 seconds.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese, chunked, and pulse until the ingredients are combined.
5. Add the basil and lemon juice, and process until reaching the desired consistency.
6. Add salt to taste and serve immediately.
2. Add the sunflower seeds and pulse for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the olive oil and process on high for 15 seconds.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese, chunked, and pulse until the ingredients are combined.
5. Add the basil and lemon juice, and process until reaching the desired consistency.
6. Add salt to taste and serve immediately.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
