The Houndstooth Gourmet

  

Garlic scapes are at the Dupont Market now. I bought a bright, beautiful and firm bunch last Sunday-and had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with them! But first things first. I had heard of these ‘curls’ or ’scapes’, and I know that they are a spring delicacy-but what are they, exactly?

Garlic, and the rest of the Allium family (onions, leeks, chives), grows underground. As the bulb forms and begins to harden, it sends a shoot through the soil, above ground. This green tendril of hard-neck garlic is the garlic scape, or curl, as they are called at Next Step Produce, where I bought them. The scape is cut, or pinched, so that the garlic can use all of the energy of the plant to grow fully.

Scapes are thought to have a mild garlic taste, without the ‘bite’ of garlic cloves. This means, you can flavor any dish with this green tendril in the same manner you would use garlic or onion. Try tossing chopped scapes into a salad or omelette, or frittata. Make hash browned potatoes and toss them in towards the end of cooking to retain their crunch.

From what I’ve read, the most popular use for the garlic scape is pesto. The best part of making pesto from the scapes is the ability to freeze it. Simply portion the pesto into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, remove the pesto from the ice cube molds and store them in a plastic bag in the freezer.

You can use the pesto in pasta dishes, omelettes, frittatas and on bruschetta or crostini. Think how nice this would be for an impromptu gathering!

Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 bunch garlic scapes or curls, washed and ends trimmed
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts, finely ground
• 3/4-1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Blanch the scapes in simmering water for 4-5 minutes, or until the just begin to yield when lifted out of the water. Remove them immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking and retain the bright green color. Dry thoroughly.

Chop the scapes in a food processor until they are fine. Add the cheese, nuts, salt and pepper. Turn the food processor on and stream in the olive oil until desired consistency. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Tags: pesto, garlic, Recipe by Ramona
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Spanish garlic soup, or ajo blanco is a white gazpacho made with stale bread, almonds, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar. Thought to be brought by the Moors to Southern Andalusia, this cold soup was used to hydrate and provide antiseptic protection to those who consumed it as they toiled during the heat of the day.

After the Columbian Exchange in 1492, when Old World met New World, different methods of preparation and ingredients led to many variations on this dish. Mortars and pestles helped to grind the almonds with their milk to impart a more silky texture to the soup as is demonstrated in this recipe. Ingredients such as tomatoes and peppers have made gazpacho the “liquid salad” that we commonly know today and is a later introduction to Spanish cuisine.

I was inspired by Habeas Brulee’s food event “Yes, Of Course You Can Pair Garlic With That” to find a recipe which uses garlic and another main ingredient together, combined in a way not normally thought of. Spanish garlic soup, or ajo blanco was a revelation to me as I’d never known the origins of gazpacho and it’s deep ties to Andalusia and the Old World. To further this theme, several ingredients have been introduced to ajo blanco including grapes, apples and fried anchovies.

This recipe* for ajo blanco augments the original version a bit, with chicken stock and dried spices. The result is a silky yet not thick soup with a pleasant overtone of garlic which is deepened by mild spices and complimented by the acidity of the vinegar.

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/4 cup blanched almonds, whole or slivered

4 garlic cloves, chopped with a pinch of kosher salt

4 egg yolks at room temperature

3/4 cups olive oil

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1/2 stale baguette, torn into chunks

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine stock, bay leaf, marjoram, salt and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Strain and let cool slightly.

In a food processor, pulverize almonds. Add garlic and puree. Add egg yolks and process to blend. With themachine running,  slowly add oil to emulsify. Stir in vinegar.

Add 1/2 cup stock to the almond mixture in the food processor and process to blend. Pour the almond mixture back into the stock. Portion soup into bowls, garnish with bread and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil.

*Recipe from “Williams-Sonoma The Best Of Taste”. Spanish Garlic Soup.

Tags: garlic, soup, Recipe by Ramona
3 Comments »