Garlic Scapes

[helwen]

Okay, have had scapes a few times now. They are definitely garlick-y, but not as strongly as the bulb itself. They can be crunchy, but think of them as being kind of like green beans.

I've diced them up to add as flavoring (don't need as long to cook that way) and it worked well. Or cut as 1 to 1/2 inch pieces and throw into hot water, then put in beet greens -- quite agreeable! Even fitzw liked them ;)

I pan cooked a steak and then after it was browned on all sides and the temp turned down I threw in cut scapes and some random veggies and sort of roasted them. Excellent!

I roasted a chicken and then late in the cooking I put the cut scapes and carrots in around the bird, and also some scapes inside the bird. This had mixed success. The ones inside the bird were okay but a tad crunchier than I wanted, so I should have put them in at/near the beginning I think. The ones outside would have been fine if the chicken had been done when I thought it would be done -- instead it needed to roast for a bit longer so the scapes got a little wrinkled. Next time, I'll pull the veggies out first, if the bird needs to go back in. Still, quite edible.

harpnfiddle made a beet soup with scapes and onions that was absolutely delicious! In this case everything was pureed, so no identifiable green or white bits. And there was some sour cream for those who wanted to put in a dollop and stir it in -- I did :)

I have a couple left still that need using up as they're getting a tad dry.... hm...... omelet?

Comments

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

They can be crunchy, but think of them as being kind of like green beans.

YES! That's it! We had chicken breasts with a sauce of capers and garlic scapes last night, and I was trying to think what the scapes reminded me of--it was the diced long beans we had at a Sichuan restaurant in Flushing Chinatown :-D

I have a couple left still that need using up as they're getting a tad dry.... hm...... omelet?

That would probably work; we've used them in quiche. They also make a nice pesto.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

I love how a bunch of us are getting into some of the same foods!

Hm, I've seen a few folks commenting on using it for pesto... maybe I should look up a recipe. I've made pesto before but I don't remember it having garlic in it. Sounds tasty though :)

[heartsease.livejournal.com]

This is what I did with the majority of my scapes this year. It's delicious over handmade pasta:

Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients
1 cup chopped garlic scapes
1/3 cup walnuts
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Blend everything but the olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Slowly drizzle in the oil with the motor running, and blend until emulsified and smooth. Add a little more oil if you like yours a little looser, but I found this amount to be just right for me. Taste and add coarse salt and pepper as needed.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Thanks!!! I'll give it a try :)